M is Fortunate
by Entitled24
Summary: I lie here now before my new blood brother and the three Pokemon that are going to be taking care of us for now, in response to these turn of events I create an Oath for myself. Sadly, however, evil lurks around every corner in this world and the man wishing to use my brother to forward his own goals will come. I must prepare, never falter M; Your Adventure awaits! [ A SI-OC ]
1. Chapter 1

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

Misfortune, a word I am in fact very much in tune with, however, it is moments like these that do indeed catch me off guard. I would never have anticipated that my _prior_ life was the amalgamation of a mistake; As "he" would call it. Yet here I lie, with no other way but to stare at this red imposing figure before me. Make no mistake, I truly do not resent "him", sure it is in fact due to "him" that…_ we_ are currently before the "Blazing Pokemon" itself, _Darmanitan, _you know, the hot-blooded Pokemon that is in fact capable of destroying a dump truck _with a single punch. _Did I forget to mention that its' internal fire burns at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit? Well the more you know I suppose, you should also be wondering why I currently am not freaking out, well… _it is_ _feeding us._ Now Darmanitan are not known for stealing things, so it leads me to wonder how it procured a bottle of milk for babies.

Now onto _greener _pastures, that was a pun, though if you have not guessed currently as to the setting of where we are at the moment you will surely find out eventually with my needlessly incessant internal bantering. I do believe the wrapped up babe next to me may be without a doubt my sibling, that is a guess; Though if "he" did indeed grant my truest desire…

'It's as if I am experiencing…

… happiness?'

Delightful and innocent thoughts run through my tiny head as I think that line. I begin to unknowingly smile, as the Darmanitan notices, it's cheeks appear to be rising in tandem with my own seeing my elated expression. This Pokemon appears to care deeply for us, though if this setting is as I think it is, then it would explain the Woobat hovering above us.

_'__T__he other is missing…' _I ponder to myself, '..._has this little family not encountered the "Tricky Pokemon" yet?_'

With thoughts of questioning speeding through my small head, the little fox appears from behind a bush to our right.

'_Ah', _I exclaim to myself ecstatically, '_There he is!__'_

As the black and red tinted Pokemon makes his appearance I create a small sound catching the attention once again to myself, this time from all three. I put my hand out in hopes of touching the tiny fox, the little guy then grins and runs up to my hand with a "squee" of excitement and rubs himself on my miniature hand, after a pet or two he glances up to the Woobat with the biggest grin he could have mustered.

"Yes! Take that you rodent with wings! Another point to the great me!" The Zorua yelps excitedly, I blink twice rapidly at that.

"Bah, hush yourself you little mangy fox, I still am ahead by two_ entire _points." Woobat swiftly counters as the look of pure horror develops onto Zorua's face, "If only you were not so slow, those cute widdle paws of yours sure are helpful~."

As Woobat finishes his sarcastic monologue with a smile, I glance to the Zorua's forehead and low an' behold his small red left eyebrow is twitching and multiple tick marks appear on him. _Taunt is super effective! _From what appears to be the Zorua developing an aneurysm, I smile some more and eventually burst out in a fit of giggles, once _again_, catching the attention of the three as surprise fills their facial expressions. Soon all three of them are smiling at me and eventually join in on my spree as well.

"_Phew",_ drawls the red figure which appears to have a female voice, "Well taking care of these two ain't really as hard as I thought it would be." Adds in Darmanitan whilst glaring playfully at the two small Pokemon. "Anyhow, watch your yappers round' them two, we do not need them developin' the same clown routine you two seem to have."

The two seem to glance down bashfully at this with eyes closed and a smile still present. Another thought races through my head as I eagerly come to a conclusion, _I can understand Pok__emon just as "he" can!_ When I continue to belatedly think this the ramifications all of the sudden dawn on me.

'_Wait a second, if __this baby__ is who I think __he__ is then...', _not very long after that realization saliva slowly builds up in my mouth with the force of a ravine in June, I swallow just quietly enough so as to not disturb the others near me, '_Oh __shitze_, _Well this just happened to get a lot harder._' I conclude with a slow curse in German.

My body loosens as I slowly regain my lost composure and with renewed determination and fierce a glance to my left with all the focused expression I could muster as a babe to where my sibling is, I begin to formulate my plan for _our_ future and close my eyes.

'_This time…',_ I think to myself as my mood slowly turns south, '…_When "they" find us eventually… I _**will** _be prepared…'_

Without hesitation I turn with slight difficulty and reach for my now blood brother with my stubby right arm and grasp his hand as he slowly glances at me with those blue orbs filled with such kindness and naivety. With his mouth agape as well, I open my eyes for ours to finally meet, as my own pair of abyssal dark blue irises stare into his bright sky blue eyes. I muster all the kindness I have ever garnered into my grip as the darkness in the forest ever so slowly clears; The shadows back away from the two respectfully as light pierces through the veil of trees, brightness bequeathing us both within its' warm glow.

'_This time,' _I stated to myself firmly, '_I will not allow anyone to suffer when I am in their presence, I will be their guiding light; Their brightness that shadows allow to flourish in, that _single_ flame... Never will I falter in my quest to bring people what I have been forsaken from, you...'_

"**N****"**

The three Pokemon quickly glance in my direction in abrupt surprise and _my _brother's eyes widen ever so slightly, as I muttered that single letter that carries with it a thousand miles.

'_I shall watch you; Protect you, keeping those from hindering you in your quest to truly free Pokemon, to have every single person and Pokemon be united as one. True Freedom, __**in harmony…**_ _this oath I shall fulfill...'_

**[ May The Shadows be my Witness ]**

"**En Harmonic"**

**Prologue End**

* * *

[ Author's Note ] - The "M" rating is for future chapters, I grew up with Pokemon and found myself entranced in its world and fell in love with the series, and so, this will not be like "Sacrifice and Subjugation" by MetalDargon ( Great FF though, check it out if ya haven't ), with all the hyper realistic things, I like the Vanilla version where Mons just get KO'd, although I WILL NOT forgo certain real life elements in this Fic. Here, I shall only mention this _once, _there will be lemons; Not for awhile, but it _will_ happen_. _I do not wish to break immersion by constantly having to introduce a "warning", so this will be the only time, if you ignored this and hate lemons; "Smell Ya Later". Ok, also yes, the Romantic Interests are Oleana and Bea and ONLY these two. As much as I want Cynthia and Nessa as much as the next guy ( Or gal if you're into that ), it just wont make sense here, _that_ and I absolutely hate harems. I could not decide for the life of me which _Chiquita _he should end up with, and so, I compromised with myself, [ two girls/one guy ], kinda like "The Shark in the Moonless Night" by The Night Hunter, god I _love_ Tia and Yoruichi, but screw me sideways and pin me to a donkey if I had to choose between the two.

[ Possible Question ] - Yes he is going to the Galar region if that was not obvious enough, I plan on integrating this region with the others. I actually liked sword and shield, I thought they were and are pretty damn cool even with all of their issues. I mean, it ain't as good as Black and White, but hell, it was _fun._

Now, with all that BS outta the way, how are ya'll doin'? May this be a late Christmas present? I guess. As I am in University I will eventually have to bypass my updating schedule I have planned for myself, so heads up on that. The first chapter will launch in _**THREE DAYS**_, I already have a few thousand words typed up for it.

Now Cya'll later and honestly... I hope you all enjoy my story. GN.


	2. Chapter 2

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ Darmanitan's POV ]

Children grow up oh so quickly now a' days, truly! Here I am, wondering how to educate these two bundles of joy about this world we live in; After all, they're human, they ain't like Pokemon who just instinctively know how some things work. Although surprisingly enough, it's almost as if them two already _know_ how some things just work; _Just like a Pokemon_, most intriguing I must express. Anyways, I am gettin' off track 'ere, I happened upon some "educational materials" for humans and the like, just sitting out ere' like no ones business. Now, I ain't one to fret over this kinda thing, but I sit ere' now in awe of this… coincidence? ...I don't like bein' in the dark 'bout things like this, and it smells _rotten_, It may have something to do with those "orange haired" fellers comin' round like they own the place, _peh. _Now… I may sound like I am preaching to the choir 'ere; Me bein' red an all, but there is something about those people in _shiny clothes _that makes my fur stand on end. Even so, I loath to admit; We need these things we are gettin', _badly._ I mean, c'mon! These two soak up learnin' materials like _crazy_, and do not even get me _started_ on how much they need to _eat. _

"_Sigh_", Releases the giant red figure, "I miss the good ol' days when things were just _simple_, punch things and be done with it; Ughhh!"

"Something wrong mom?"

I refuse to acknowledge that his abrupt arrival made me jump. But I'll be damned if this kid ain't quiet. He is the more _observe now_ _act later_ type, just waiting patiently, how on earth can he do that? Last time I checked kids were suppose to be chock full of energy. Ah, that reminds me of how rowdy I was as a child, I truly do not envy my pa and ma; But it seems that caught up with lil' ol' me.

"No sweetie, 'M fine; Just stressed I s'ppose."

"… I do apologize in advance if our presence is causing you unneeded frustration, is there anything I could possibly do to help? Ease your burden, even if just a little? I'm certain I could help around here more, especially looking for more berries as from what I can tell; We always need more. All you need to do is ask."

...That smile he is givin' me will be the death of me someday. Honestly, how can a _kid _be so mature for his age. It's almost as if he is already grown up! Also, my golly; That smile will break the hearts of so many young'n eventually, with how he acts now I wouldn't be surprised if he already got one or two just lay'n round somewhere wrapped 'round his little finger. Seriously, he is only what appears to barely be _three_ and he can already form coherent sentences and pick up social ques like its nothin'. Now that's not to say his brother is behind, the light green haired chap is very bright as well, _honestly_, they're such a handful. But…

… _I'__d_ be damned if I gave up on 'em so easily. These two bring such _joy_ to the three of us; Me, Woobat, and even _Zorua_. The little fox is real shy 'round new Pokemon and even worse;_ Humans. _However, they came outta nowhere and just got into our little family so easily. I love taking care of 'em, seeing 'em all smile and laugh together, it brings me an unequivocal amount of happiness, an' Woo just loves hoverin' round 'em, 'specially the light green haired one. And Zorua , he…

Darmanitan shakes her head, "Please hon, you do enough as is. You even teach lil' green things I couldn't even imagine showing someone; _Honestly_ _though_, where in Arceus' name did you get all this information from?! Cause I sure as heck didn't get it from the usual spot." Glancing quizzically at him as to gauge his reaction, '_He looks __composed__. Though it is well hidden, I could see that __slight __twitch.'_

"… 'The usual spot?' You mean… you didn't steal or find the stuff we have..."

"'Stealing_? Stealing?!' _Just who in the sam' hell do you take me for?!… Seriously though kid where have you gotten this knowledge from, this ain't normal; As much as normal can be with you two. Its as if you already _know_ everything you teach lil' green."

Dark green hair covers his eyes; Head turned downwards in contemplation, however he appears to be troubled, _'Just what is up with you lil' guy, c'mon. You can talk to me, just… please let me in.'_

"_Sigh_… I am just worried for you, _you_; A 3 year old kid preforming these unimaginable feats for humans. It, although its amazing, it _is_ also worrying; I want you to know, that within these three or so years of taking great care for you and lil' green it has without a doubt built that trust with _all _of us. You are not alone my little ninja, '_His troubled expression fades into obscurity and he smiles at that comment,' _with how bright ya are you should already know this, I would give my life for you and everyone 'ere if it meant you all livin' longer. Please, _please…_ confide in me if you find yourself ever over encumbered with… what ever it is that is in fact, troublin' ya. You are surrounded by amazing Pokemon that absolutely _adore_ and _love you _with every fiber of their bein' and a brother that just seems to can't get enough of ya, '_His smile grows even more at that as his reclusive eyes begin to form back from his jungle of hair; liquid ever so slightly creeping up from the corners of his eyes,' _You. Are. Not. _Alone. _You've got us, all of us; The family forged with the hands of everybody 'ere. Not by blood, but by the experiences we've all had together, and the time spent doing so."

Words; Something people_ and_ Pokemon in this case,can forget, how helpful they are. "_Actions lead to results_", Everyone can be a believer of such an_ obvious _statement; But _words?_ What have words done for us? Just letters that _form a word,_ which creates a _sentence_, and begets a _conversation _chock full of _emotion. _So, It is in cases as this one that this simple building block creates a metaphorical punch to the gut. _Actions_ are most definitely the easiest and most effective way to get to someone, however, _words_ work too and can be even more effective than _actions_ in cases such as this one. _Words; _They can hurt people, yes, however it is with these things called _words_ that we can come to an understanding with one another and lift each other up to greater heights; An awakening occurs, he appears to be close to loosing his hold on his composure, tears trying their hardest to break through his tough outer shell; A shell, encased with experiences from days of old, his life prior to this begins to unravel. Closing his eyes slowly; Taking in a shaky breath of air and pushing it out in an attempt to re conform his lost wit, he responds.

"…I needed that, a lot more than I thought I did. Thank you, really. Now I am going to be honest with you, I have gotten the knowledge you speak of from somewhere; Somewhere… I am not currently comfortable talking about, though if I could put any honesty into this, it comes from nowhere dangerous. I hope this can satiate your worries for now… When I am ready to speak of what has occurred with me. Everyone here will be the first to know. I do swear it."

Both Darmanitan and the dark haired child stare at each other for what seemed to be minutes, and after a long silence; Another sigh breaks from her maw.

"Seriously, you are far too mature for your age… Alright I'll take that for now my lil' ninja, so… when you _are_ ready we will always be here with you in body, heart, and spirit kid. Now 'nough this emotional stuff, go find the others and gather them so we can eat together, OK? I'll be waitin' 'ere so make it snappy yeah?"

And with a quick and determined nod as well as a hug from my lil' ninja, he is off to find the others. Now that I think about it he was always _real_ good at finding the others and myself pretty quickly, 'nother one of his mysteries I s'ppose to the puzzle that is those two; Speaking of puzzles, lil' green and lil' ninja had these… _constructs_ made into necklaces. One of which looks like a cube of sorts with designs an' holes in it and another with A perfectly symmetrical triangle that gives me an ominous feeling, like I'm being_ dragged downward;_ The object doesn't really help it's case with all those… engravings it has on it and it is also deceptively heavy. _Great, _more mysteries to be solved. These two things were tied 'round their necks when I found them together by their lonesome in the forest next to that old and ruined factory. _What did those humans call that place? The uh, "Dreamyard"?_

"_Sigh, _I just cannot catch a break can I? Oh well."

With that comment a joyful grin breaks out on Darmanitan's face, _Not like it's anythin' new round here in our little cozy space __we call home._

* * *

[ No One's POV ]

"Woo-Bro~", an indignant cry is heard from a certain fluffy black fox, "When will you embrace your inner rat and walk as we do~, its not that bad I promise! _Of course_ you will suffer in the beginning silly~, that is just a little thing called _exercise_; Something you without a doubt need sheehehehe~."

"_Oh please_, if I _ever_ succumb to the want of rolling on the ground it will be the day you stop being such a mangy widdle puppy wuppy~, which in fact will _never_ happen now will it? _**Gasp**_, in fact I do believe there is something you need as well! It is to be _limber_ my furry friend! Where is your agility when you need it? Sure you are fast on those cute widdle things called paws you land lovers seem to take fancy to~. After all~, who is the one picking berries from these _oh so tall trees?_ Why the magnificent me of course lil' Z! And so what is _your_ chosen job mop head~, please indulge me~."

With every sentence Woobat speaks, Zorua's scowl grows ever deeper and his eyelids get dangerously closer to embracing one another out of frustration. However, with the last sentence he stumbles mid walk and mumbles quietly; Almost imperceptibly, however, this is the "Bat Pokemon" we are dealing with here, it uses ultrasonic waves to search for things mainly its surroundings and on an even greater level searches for things to prey upon; Namely bug type Pokemon. This ability has been honed to perfection through its constant uses, one would most certainly _not _envy Zorua in such a situation.

"Hmm~?" Woobat feigns ignorance clearly hearing the Tricky Pokemon, "What did you say widdle foxy woxy~? I do not believe I heard you properly, must be the _height_ I am currently at, _SURELY that must be it!_ Allow me to grace your own _height_ with my royal presence~. Now care to repeat that~?"

The constant prods at his height eventually force him to succumb to his anger in order to protect his pride; A pride that is far too large for this fox Pokemon and it is due to this reason that it was as if he got hit with a _STAB_ move right to the heart. Now one would most certainly be on the cusp of staggering away from this Pokemon if you could see his expression; As it looks as if he will implode at this very moment.

"_Grrr, _fine! I said my job was collecting what you dropped! Are you happy now?! Leave my height out of this!"

"_**Gasp**_, why oh _why_ would you assume I am attacking your _height_ my fuzzy friend~! I know just how much you hate it when someone comments on your fur, but _height? Never!_ Ah, it is such a tragedy~, the _s__mall_ ones always have the _shortest _fuse and the largest amount of pride! Woo be me~!"

As if proving "Woo-Bro's" point intentionally, Zorua caves into Woobat's constant remarks about his height and begins to loose it right next to his friend. Unfortunately, no one else was here to warn the Bat Pokemon about Dark Types and what they love...

"ARRGH! That is it you damn Dottler with wings! I say we settle this here and now buster! Fight me!"

_...Cruelty. _

'_Uh oh.' _Recalling what was taught to him earlier about type advantages by his brother with the dark green hair he attempts to defuse the situation with cold sweat threatening to trail down himself.

"H-hey, buddie 'ol pal o' mine! Lets not get hasty h-here yeah? I am f-fairly certain you wouldn't want to ruin that _amazing_ fur of yours now would you? Would you?! R-right! _Of course_ you wouldn't!"

As if literally trying to pacify a raging Tauros in a China Shop, Woobat attempts to speak with the beast; Only to not realize until the last second that stroking its ego will only make it worse, forgoing the knowledge of Dark Types can and will be a bad experience for anyone. Attempting to convince himself that nothing will happen so long as he continues to give Zorua complements; Truly, the_ most _inaccurate decision making known to Pokemon kind. Do Keep in mind though that Zorua happen to crave attention from people and Pokemon they care deeply for, only those that have truly garnered such trust from the Tricky Pokemon can and will see a side such as this. O_ur _Zorua may not be an exception to this; Nay, he feels it even greater than others of his kind.

"_Ohhh,_ thanks _bunches_ for finally admitting my fur is amazing~. However~, I seem to recall you saying something about my, what was it? Ah yes, '_Mop Head', _care to comment on _that _my fuzzball friend.~"

"O-oh, what I m-meaaant to say was crown… yes that's it! _Crown! _That _soft _ice cream looking _crown_ on the top of your head looks simply fabulous on you!"

"Sheehehehe, I am glad you think so… but I also recall you saying something early about '_royal presence_', yes? So... you assume yourself to be on the same stage as yours truly?! The nerve~! Ah yes! Here is something funny! You know what Kings do to _peasants_ who do not know their betters? Hmm~? Well speak _peasant_!"

"I-I-I-I d-do not know y-your sire? Please e-educate this lowly one?" Woobat shakily asked with a wry smile.

"Keekekekee, well…

…They _**EXECUTE **_them!"

"**Dark Pulse!"**

\- [ Pokemon ] -

[ No One's POV ]

"Now my brother, what would be the most likely scenario when one Psychic Type Pokemon and Dark Type engage in battle?" The green haired lad asks, knowing very well that his brother can answer this.

"Well, if we are talking about the _major _typing advantage a Dark Type holds over a Psychic Type, then the end result should be obvious, no? Psychic Type moves will never truly affect a Dark Type, while Dark Types deal a noticeably larger amount of damage with their own move set; In fact, it is a multiple of two is it not, though there is one thing I am most curious about..."

"And what is the curiosity that you hold?" Parrots the more knowledgeable of the two, "You can ask, I won't belittle you."

"Well… what Psychic Type would be foolish enough to fight such a doomed battle? It makes me wonder, honestly, the ramifications that led these two Pokemon to fight could be as endless as _pi, _the mathematical constant; However, knowing this, why would such a disadvantaged Pokemon fight?"

Hearing this question makes the dark haired brother smile with a knowing gleam in his eyes, as he prepares to answer a cry of absolute terror floods the area around them; A tiny, yet perceptible amount of Dark energy is permeating from the source of the cry, at this sight the two stood baffled before the one teaching the other recomposes himself and sighs heavily with a hand squeezing the bridge of his nose; Eyes closed in near resignation.

"Um, brother should we…?" Begins to ask the light haired brother of the duo, in worry.

"No, no- It is fine. Though if I had to be honest with you; I shall prepare some Oran berries just in case of emergency, though this happens _nearly every week._ An instance of such magnitude has not occurred, ...but it will not hurt to be prepared." Re configuring his thoughts, after his train of thought was derailed. He makes a decision.

"We shall move up a bit in the material I have planned for you; Let us go to the abilities of Pokemon, in fact, let us talk about Woobats'..."

"Ah, are you perhaps referring to the those three? The two normal abilities and its' hidden one? Why they would be Unaware, Klutz, and Simple I believe..." Finishes the bright student with raised brow and a knowing smile appearing on his normally neutral face.

"Yes, yes those are the three abilities of Woobat." The teacher _also_ finishes in amusement by the situation circumstances have placed them in.

\- [ Pokemon ] -

[ Woobat's POV ]

I didn't want to believe that I could ever get myself into this situation again, yet here I am; Being dragged along the ground, of all things. To be perfectly honest though, I do not mind this situation. _I could go without the super effectiveness though._ Playing rough house with Zorua is rather fun, and poking fun at his insecurities is even more fun if I had to be honest, seeing his reaction to my remarks can be quite funny. My buddy and I have been together for as long as I can remember, in fact I even knew him before we met Darmanitan, our mother.

"...You know I still am in the lead with most points for getting affection from our human counter parts?" I try to alleviate the awkward silence that has been in the air ever since I came to from my swirly-eyed state...

"I know, I still gotta catch up in that regard."

"..."

… and fail tremendously. I really am not good at this sorta thing like mom and our resident ninja is. I do all I can really, but I feel like it is not enough to help him. I've heard from my mom that humans view my heart-shaped stamp on the walls as a sign of good fortune. I do not know where that came from, it literally is just me trying to rest or sleep, but even if it ain't true. I still do it for Zorua, leaving him one above the spots he rests or sleeps. I pray it works, really. He has been through more than enough, mom agrees with me on this… I couldn't even imagine...

… Enough of that right now, I always make sure to watch what I say around my best friend, certain things are fine; Others, not so much. I am worried about him and from what I can tell he still isn't doing good, he is coping yes, and I hope I am apart of that mechanism for him to keep his mind off of _**that**_. Other times I get a bit too curious as to what he is thinking when Z is in this mood.

"…Hey Zorua, do you still think about the times before we met mom?" I ask with a bit of hesitation so as to not stir trouble within my friend.

"...Yeah."

"So you-"

"We should have a competition! Like… one where we can see who can get the most berries! It'll settle our score from earlier. C'mon lets go..."

_His mask was put back on very quickly, _I better steer clear of this topic for awhile if Zorua is deflecting as fast as he is now, it could mean he really does not wanna talk about it. _Sigh_, I wish I had mom here, she would know what to say; Hell even my nin-bro could do this super easily! I do not know what to do, but be beside him at all times and keep his mind from wandering. And so, I shall do just that! I may not be as socially adept as mom or Bro, but It'd be a cold day in Mt. Molteau before I cave in because of my lack of conversational attributes; What I lack in that regard I make up for in love! ...So Zorua, you better prepare yourself for a challenge!

"Ah Ha! As if you could ever catch up to moi in terms of points!~ Try your hardest, cause it sure as heck won't be enough!"

"Oh ho! It is on now you fluff ball!"

I may not be as much as help as I would like, but maybe this isn't so bad. I'll do my best, like I always have!

* * *

[ M's POV ]

'For what reason would N go all the way out here? I've been following his footprints for awhile now… and there are no other tracks, no disturbed grass anywhere; Even the trees are the same, nothing broken or out of place, except for just N's prints. So I can void abduction as an outcome here, unless of course there is some sort of Flying Type Pokemon that lured him our here? No, _genug,_ stop speculating. Keep your eyes on the goal ahead; Focus… someone is ahead.'

After finding the person I slowly and noiselessly approach the blurred figure in a crouched position. Unable to make out his or her appearance, I seat my right knee down on the ground quietly and observe. As the seconds pass to minutes, I steadily grow anxious; It is not like N to just stare off into space, and so I decide to make the first move. I announce my presence on purpose by stepping on the brush in front of me, finally able to make out the figure, it really was just N. _Thank Arceus._ He turns to look at me and we begin a staring contest...

"..."

"…!"

… Catching on quickly I notice the change in behavior.

"...Zorua, your illusions have gotten much better over the course of these two years by my teachings, but you've got a long ways to go before you can fully trick me." I finish with a smile and care for the black fox in my eyes.

Getting caught, he immediately dropped the illusion and started berating himself for not doing good enough. Before he could continue in his endeavor to chide himself, I counter his apathetic claims to himself with my own approval.

"Alright, enough self criticisms Zorua, you actually did fairly good in the beginning. Managing to throw me off my game, its as I say; Impressive, I am not one to fall for such obvious attempts at trickery. Yet, here I am pondering to myself if I am getting rusty, you made me believe in something that clearly was not true, that was a _successful_ illusion by my standards. Even though you _adore_ pranks with them and do them often, I still fell for it. Your seamless integration of how N walks is impeccable, it made the illusion all the more _real. _Great job Z, now if you're looking for criticisms I can still give you some pointers, how about it? Up for some more practice?"

Staring at me with wide eyes he finally catches control of himself and breaks out into happy yips. Jumping around like a kid who just got the perfect Christmas gift, he then leaps into my arms and smiles at me with an elated look in his eyes.

"Yes! Teach me how to get better M! I keep mucking up the part where the confrontation happens. I just cannot seem to be able to speak when my illusions are up! I find myself loosing control if I attempt to converse at all."

I smile at the little bundle of joy, and give him some rubs behind the ears. At the touch he leans into it while giving me a contented yip. … I know very well Zorua, _very well,_ When someone is hurting. The place you're currently content with; With us. You believe it to be temporary, yes? An even bigger smile grows on my face, while I grow reminiscent. I can tell; Because _I know,_ I will pull you from that place before it consumes you, just as it did me before. No one will suffer with me around, I will continue to uphold this and grant people and Pokemon like you; Like me, happiness. Even if I have to do it from behind the curtain, as their shadow. I shall _shroud_ them in eternal joy; No more will anyone like myself; And you be alone. Judge and temper my resolve, my_ **ideals**, _and envelope me with your cover of blackened shade so that I may carry out my Oath; And let their light and warmth shine upon me, granting me the power to move forward to uphold my promise. As I finish my thoughts I begin to walk away with him in my arms and a hopeful expression on my face; Hope for the future.

\- [ Pokemon ] -

[ Zorua's POV ]

A fact I've been faced with ever since I could recall was that I was weak,

Physically, _**Stagnate**_

Emotionally, _**Pathetic**_

Mentally, _**Disgusting**_

Spiritually, _**Vacancy**_

I am _weak. **Nothing but weakness**_

A _fragile existence_. _**Like glass**_

These dark thoughts imbue me with such negativity, that some days it just becomes overwhelming. But I continue on like nothing is wrong.

_**So I do not worry anyone with my weakness**_

Cover it up,_** Faker**_

Shrug it off,_** Illusions**_

Nothing is wrong, _**Liar**_

"ARRRGH!" I send a scratch to a target post M set up for me and sent it flying in the air with a yell of absolute desperation as another one is beginning to be switched in with it, thanks to a pendulum design he attached to a tree.

"And now! **Pursuit!**" Armed with the knowledge that my teach gifted me I follow up with a move I recently learned thanks to the great conditioning M has put me through.

*_KRATCH, _goes the target as I break it. In my exhausted state of delirium I break from reality for a second, as I begin to come back my senses a grin forming from relief floods to my cheeks.

*_Pant, _

"I did it… _**Wrong**_

I did it. _**W-on-**_

I did it! _**-**_

I _really _did it…!" A stray tear cleaves down my only open eye in relief, _I am improving just as M said I would_! Quickly turning my head as much as my exhausted body would allow as I began to hear clapping from my left.

"Simply _amazing _Zorua, you adopted what I said and listened with all your heart and soul; Ingraining it into your being, you can now utilize an attack that doubles its' damage to those that seek to flee from you, _multiple _times in succession. You trained here for more than a few hours, your spirit is truly _indomitable; _One to be feared. There is no doubt in my mind that _you're growing strong!"_

'What is this? What have I done to deserve such kindness, such compassion?' I question to myself as I start to get emotional. 'Why?! I haven't really; _Truly_ done _anything_ for you! So why?! I-I do not understand how you can be so _bright _for me that I actually feel _warmth_ inside me. _Me_! Of all Pokemon **ME**! I-I…' Tears well up in the corner of Zorua's eyes. 'No! Not in front of him; Not M, he doesn't need to see this, to be afraid for me, to be _worried. Stop!' _As if trying to hide himself the little fox flings his head in the opposite direction of his teach. However…

"Huh?" A sudden torrid of movement wraps around Zorua.

…Hugs are notorious for an erratic release of emotion. M puts his head beside Z's and his arms around his body.

"It looked like you needed a hug Z… You do not need to tell me what has transpired in your life, but know this; 'A burden shared is a burden halved'. Take what you will from that, I am here for you after all! Do not feel afraid of sharing things with me, I can handle it! I am your resident ninja after all!" I smile at his goofiness and laugh shakily. "You can trust me with this... Whenever you are ready, come talk with me about it, and if you do; I will impart something that has happened to me as well. That way it is an equal trade! I refuse to be worried about something like this and I am not scared for you either. You're _growing_ into something amazing, and it is my pleasure to be a spectator of your growth, I regret nothing. I will never leave you; Nor will anyone in this family for that matter. Just being with you all has been my_ reward, _I love you lil' guy."

The anxiety I have been feeling is fading, I can _feel it _going away just as my tears are on free fall right now, I feel so safe and secure and _warm_; Just being next to him is reassuring, but…

*Sniff "Thank you… so much M. _Really,_ your words mean the world to me, and so; OK, I will talk, not now. Eventually though, I-I don't believe I have the heart at the moment to talk about _that. _It is as you say though, I am growing; So please wait for me to grow even more; Stay here with us, so I can express my sorrows to you- and yours to me… I love you too, _always_."

We stay embraced until the sun fades into dusk; Light leaving us just as sadness is, and the looming night basking us in its welcoming presence.

* * *

[ N's POV ]

Natural. _N_.

That is the name I have chosen for myself! A perfect amalgam of my _current_ **truths **and **understanding**, _this_ is what my conclusion in from the guidance I have had from my brother. Natural numbers, you see, are those used for counting and ordering; It is a fascinating makeup of cardinal and ordinal numbers, if you look_, just look_, you can see the makeup of an individual in natural numbers. However, some things require more inspection of said unsolved formula, one of which, and the most profound for that matter. Is without a doubt my brother, M. He is tranquil, just as my Menger Sponge is; Yet, so much _more_. It is as if I am missing a piece of this puzzle; This _equation_, if that is so, then my brother is _truly _an unsolvable **"**_**Mystery**_**", **as he calls it. A frustrated look appears on my being as a bloated pout forms on my face, I am not one to leave things hidden beneath an _uncomputable function._ Things just cannot be as simple as construing my Void Cube, can they? A slight smile forms on my face; I will solve everything and obtain _**truth**_, in order to understand more and more of this world that all my friends and family reside in! With newfound conviction and a bright smile that is showing teeth, I begin to search for my brother M. He is usually, around here though, _how curious. _Perhaps… mother knows? Or Zorua, he is usually with him; Perhaps he should have a good idea. Hmmm, just to be safe I'll ask all three and go from there. Z should be… ah, there he is!

"Zorua!" N yelled softly catching the Tricky Pokemon's attention.

"Yeah N, whats up?"

"I haven't seen M around today, and I require his attention; Do you know where he could, or better yet know where he is currently?"

"M? No, sorry, I do not know where he is at the moment. ...Now that I think about it though he has been absent a lot around this time of day. He could be at the training field, try checking there."

Giving a firm nod and a smile of thanks, he continues onto where the training field is only to stop when he hears a loud noise. _What is that?_ N, being the curious tyke that he is pushes forward to where to noise is originating from. When he breaks through the shrubs and brush blocking his path, he stood shocked at the spectacle before him. _Dancing? _No, it is something else; Its like he is gliding over the thin stumps he has set up. The more interesting detail though- Is that it looks so _accomplished, _as if this _performance_, has been done before. _It feels like when I complete my Void Cube adeptly._ Before N could continue his thought process, a loud noise breaks his concentration.

*_Fwip _

***KHRAAATCH**

After destroying a target M prepared for himself he turned to face N's look of astonishment. Giving a smile to N, he walks up to him and wipes his brow before beginning conversation.

"Hey brother! '_Phew'_ Did you need something?" Managing to catch his breath mid sentence he inquires to N.

"Yes! Yes I did in fact, I wished to ask you a question." N begins.

"OK, shoot."

"How?" N asks in a simple yet kind manner.

"… 'How' what?" M asks confusedly.

Glancing around at the _exuberant _amount of splintered targets littering the ground, he once again looks awestruck and begins to question if he is dreaming. N hears a soft chuckle and then gets a response.

"Do you mean this training ground I set up? Or perhaps... that I am using it?"

"Yes! Well, only partially. … I have multiple inquiries. You seem to know things that even mother does not know, and when you guide me in the ways of the world; You say it with such conviction that I can only assume you to be very well practiced in it. As if you _know _what you're talking about. … Then there is _this_." N spreads his arms out wide as if to accentuate what he is talking about.

"You looked like a _veteran _built with experience and hard work_; _A professional, preforming in front of an audience like it is nothing."

Giving no outward response, M looks to the ground in concentration with furrowed brows. After a few seconds of self deliberation, M's eyes quickly coming back into focus as he looks back up and gives a bright smile that could end a war.

"Mother had asked me a similar question roughly two years ago. ...It is nearly time for me to tell you all what has transpired within me and outside of me, there are things I have been planning for us; You especially N. In the coming months to few years my brother, a meeting _will_ occur. A man with faded green hair, dressed in an ornamental cloak with two eyes decorating its cloth will come to adopt you; Also it is very likely he will adopt even me. As I am the same as you, one who can understand Pokemon and hear their inner voices. ...I apologize N, but that's all I am willing to say for now, however, give me some more time. When I have finished my plan, it will be my turn to seek and inquiry from not just you; But all of us, our family."

Hearing this… I could not help but be surprised; A bit frightened too, humans… have not really treated the two of us well for our ability; The people from Accumula Town and Striaton City have not really hurt the two of us though, just the occasional "freaks" comment and ostracizing us. _I really do not believe he is lying though_. He spoke very clearly and showed no outward signs of deceit, M spoke with such confidence that… _once again, _it's like he _knows._

"You're not putting us in danger are you?" I question with pure curiosity, no animosity in sight. "This… plan of yours. Will it have any of our family getting potentially injured?"

"...The man coming to adopt us, is in fact _very _dangerous, but not to just _us… _This _very_ region will be in perilous danger in the future because of him, I plan on stopping this tyranny from occurring eventually… but for now; No, he needs us _alive _to fulfill his ambition, an ambition that caused him to loose himself somewhere down the line. So, in conclusion; There will be a battle in the future, but a future _far off _from today, however, you're asking if our family and friends will get hurt; No, they will not, I _will not allow that_. The risks? There are some, all of which are preventable if everything goes smoothly and according to the details I have in place."

After hearing that, I was a bit hesitant to accept it at first. _Although, _M_ never _speaks badly of another be it human or Pokemon; If what he says is true, then there is far more to this… _equation _than just what he told me; To us. This may also give me insight into the** truth** of the world too and increase my comprehension, he did speak of risks though… However, knowing my brother M, he will not just put us in danger for the fun of it. Internally coming to a decision and looking into his eyes, I speak.

"...Alright, I'll wait for you to finish this 'plan' of yours before deciding what I do; However, I want to hear all of it too, not just bits and pieces of the plan, also of yourself too. Prying may have killed the Purrloin, but If I get injured in the process of seeking **truth **and **understanding**, then I am _genuinely _unworthy of the moniker _N_ I have gifted myself." I grin at my brother M as I finish my statement, grin growing slightly at his quietly affronted face.

M's body starts swaying comically back and forth before dropping to 90 degrees.

"...It seems I have been too kind in my teachings… Looks like I've got to _up the ante a bit..."_ My brother trails off ominously.

My grin slowly falling, giving way to a look of comical terror. I slowly begin to walk backwards in anticipation of what is to come, not wanting to spend anymore time on _that _subject.

"What ever are you talking about brother?! There is no need to… '_up the ante' _on anything!"

"That so…? Well, I have an answer to that; It is that _'teachers know best'. _So come now before I choose the next subject you hate the most to study."

*_**Gasp**_ "You wouldn't! No! Not _that _subject!" Sweat furiously pours down my forehead in mock horror.

"Hehehe, oh I would and will!… Prepare yourself… **for ****Anthropology**** 101!**"

"_NOOOOO!" _I scream in terror while attempting to run away.

It is said that to this day you can still hear the weeping of students from the Anthropology classes.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

It has been nearly a year since N and I had that talk, the plan has been finished _finally _after months of preparation and soon I will be presenting my strategy for them to follow and succeed. _That is… if they accept it of course. _Shaking my head from negative thoughts, I clear my head and mull over my next step.

'Building up my young body with minor calisthenics and stamina training was a hassle, but was worth it...' I consciously clench my fist and stare at it for a good while. 'It will be another good five to six years before I can actually begin my real conditioning though. I am just so blessed to have been able to practice once again. *_Sigh, _Seriously... do not even get me _started _on what it's like as person with ADHD and not being able to be active 24/7. It is literal _hell. _Thinking back to that though, I am most certainly glad my parents didn't even think to medicate me as a kid, just have me run around like a psychopath screeching off the top of my lungs; Scaring the living day lights out of everyone in my neighborhood and school.' I chuckle loudly remembering this one neighbor who chased me with a shovel and threw dirt at me because I stepped in some his flowers. _Yikers_, sorry again old man. _Now though? _I don't feel the need to constantly tire out my inner hyper child, I wonder if with my new body my ADHD disappeared? Bah, questions for another time perhaps.'

"M!" Breaking me out of my trance, Zorua jumps into my arms and I catch him just as fast as he appeared. Laughing out loud, I tickle him and he joins me in my outburst.

"S-stop-p-pfff, Hah-Plea-a-ase."

"Alright, alright; I've had my fun. So is dinner almost ready?" I question in anticipation. After Zorua re composes himself he responds.

"Yup! It's almost time for some of that _tasty __Pecha __Stew_, aughhh my mouth is just watering in wait for that delicious meal_.~" _

Z really does like Pecha berries doesn't he? Oh well, I can't disagree with him, I love Pecha foods too. Peaches were some of my favorite fruits back when I was in my prior life, so it is rather nostalgic when I eat some.

"Indeed Zorua! It is a very good meal, taste wise and nutritional wise!"

Hmm, it has been almost 6 years since I came into this world, and I only just in the recent years thought of a name for myself that would be most poetic; M. Just a simple letter that holds so much meaning. I plan on releasing my full name eventually, just not yet though. ...When I eventually reach _that_ stage of my plan, then all will be revealed for everyone to behold and _no one_ will feel despair within my presence, _Ever again. _

"Zorua." I state his name firmly.

"Yeah? ...Whats wrong?" Z asks worriedly.

"No, nothing is wrong… at least not yet. There is just something… troubling I will be going over with you all after dinner. I figured I would jump start with you, since we met each other already before walking towards our living space to eat."

Zorua looks down and soon his eyes widen, he then looks back up to me quickly before asking me a question.

"You… plan on talking about yourself and your… _situation_ don't you?" As he asks this, he begins to look conflicted within himself.

"… I do, though Zorua you do _not need to_ feel pressured into force yourself to tell me your own troubles just because I am. I-"

"I'll talk."

I stop to look at him in meaningful surprise, as a warm smile develops onto my face, _You have really grown Z, do not let anyone; Nor yourself tell you otherwise._ As Zorua stands there he slowly turns around to face me with a shameful expression.

"I have been meaning to talk about this to you for some time now, I just didn't know how to go about it. Though, looking back on everything you've done for me. I believe you just gotta... _do it. _That is what matters; Taking that first step to even _admitting_ something is wrong, at least… I think that's a good starting point." He trails off nervously, as I smile at him with teeth showing slightly at my parted lips.

"You nailed it _right on the head_, Zorua; Honestly, I've never been more proud of someone. People who can admit fault, are the truly strong ones, it is because they self reflect that people and _especially _Pokemon can grow. Now come on, we've got a dinner to get to!" After my words of encouragement he tears up slightly before shaking his head and jumping into my arms again. Chuckling to myself at this.

"Everything will be clear soon; I do swear this to you Z."

**[ Soon Ideals And Truth Will Become one ]**

"**Excel Formula" **

**Chapter 1 End**

* * *

[ Author's Note ] - Hello once again readers! I hope you all have been doing great these past few days. Now for a little note, the next chapter will launch in _**5 days**_. I am going to be spending new years eve and new years day with my best friend and his family, so I will not be writing on those days. Sorry, ya'll. Cya'll in 5 days. Peace.

[ Updated ] - OK! Funny thing how documents work I suppose! When I put in this doc to this sit somethings got erased and even just some spaces were removed. That was annoying, I updated this though, so it should be better. Sorry for that inconvenience all, truly; It will be an absolute _joy _to re-read this _twice_ now that I know that transferring premade docs hates brackets and the like.


	3. Chapter 3

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ -'s POV ]

When was the last time I left this place…? I may not be able to remember much of those years, I may not even be able to recall the most routine of things perfectly; But the _places _and _names _of those that I visited will be forever ingrained into my memory. Those bonds I forged, I refuse to allow myself to ever truly forget that happiness I felt. _Alicia… Alice…_Beginning to reminisce with my eyes closed, I continue on with what warmth I am allowed to feel and press forward with the task I have been given; A task I _cannot _fail. Fiercely opening my only visible eye I sped ahead faster with renewed grit past the city from which I had arrived and am currently on my way to pass another. Failing to notice not only the lake in my peripheral vision through the clasp of trees as I was advancing, but the scrutiny as well from a certain Pokemon's eyes. After an aggravated sigh the floating Pokemon of the lake proceeds to teleport to somewhere unknown.

Maintaining my current speed was no problem for me, I could go on like this for days. Key word being _could_, if not for this… _s__ister _of mine. Taking my sweet time to stop and look up at the blinding light that is slowly descending upon me, I begin to hear the most tranquil voice I will ever and continue to have the pleasure of hearing for years to come.

"Dear brother... you are not one to simply forgo your… _idiosyncratic _pact with yourself. A pact that keeps you from leaving that island; A pact of self imposed _exile_. Is something currently troubling you…? You can always speak with me you know!" The _sister_ Pokemon chides kindly in a hypnotic and calming voice.

"… No, nothing is _currently _wrong, but..." I trailed on darkly, cogently beginning to go over the talk I had with _those_ four, six years ago...

\- Pokemon -

[ No One's POV ]

Three massive Pokemon appear to be discussing and debating in what appears to be a hall atop the clouds, while the Pokemon with the ghostly appearance quietly and awkwardly stands off to the side observing this discussion with annoyance, as these three deliberate as to what had occurred just mere hours ago.

"… One doesn't simply open a portal through; Not only _time_, but _space_ as well… I would know…" Starts the menacing black Pokemon in a renegade manner.

"It is not even just _that, _the energy over Unova caused those_ surrounding laws of physics _to _cease _to function entirely, while this… unidentified anomaly existed." Adds the Pokemon standing on hind legs with it's own two cents.

"… Well, radiation was _spewed _out of this abnormality, quite furiously might I add… Thank_ 'Father'_ that Deoxys and Rayquaza descended from the ozone layer and put aside their differences so they could work in tangent in order to keep the radiation from spreading to the unsuspecting area of Unova. Even then, it was only until a _Lunala_ appeared and used it's third eye to assist in that _nasty_ situation that it was actually solved…" The gigantic Dragon-esque Pokemon summarizes and adds on with pure abhor at the mention of 'father'. "I am getting off topic, so- we can conclude that it was indeed _not_ a black hole _n__or_ even a wormhole; Remember that this _started_ in the _Torn World_ since the _four-dimensional continuum_ should be so convoluted by the _irregular spatial relations_ that _Minkowski Space_ should pretty much cease to function properly. Hence the laws of Physics being so disturbed in the _Torn World…_" Finishes the alarming Pokemon.

"Let us not forget that there were no _pulling_ tidal forces, but instead _pushing _tidal forces which is why it was even able to _survive_ in the _Torn World _even with those parameters in place, in fact; There was a _g__ravitational time '__**d**__**eflation'**_ that continued until the ending of this anomalies' life." Enumerates the other giant Pokemon that has been quiet so far.

"So…" Continues the prior speaking Pokemon.

"...In conclusion…" The Pokemon with hind legs attempts to finish...

"… We are dealing with a '_White Hole_?'"...Before being cut off rudely with a scoff by the dangerous looking Pokemon. "_White Holes_ are merely a hypothetical region of space-time predicated on the assumption that there _is_ no mass within an event horizon. These… _Holes of white_ guilelessly _cannot _exist as they _violate_ the Second Law of Thermodynamics! To even begin to believe such an _inane_ statement that has clearly been expressed as '_pretend_' as a '_negative square root solution' _inside of an event horizon is just so-!"

"_Improbable_?" Cuts in a figure vaguely reminiscent of a horse with a Dharmachakra on its' back just now appearing as a projection of astral integrity. "No my son, it is merely a currently unknown area of expertise; Knowledge which even _I_ do not posses… As for this discussion- good job coming to this conclusion, because a '_White Hole' _is indeed actually part of the trick to this _conundrum_ we have found ourselves in."

As soon as the figure with a holy glow appeared in the hall with an endless amount stairs leading downwards. The trio of massive Pokemon except the seemingly rebelling Pokemon all bow their heads in respect as it clicks it's tongue in annoyance when even the ghostly looking Pokemon bowed his head in reverence.

"I always say what's on my mind _'pops'_, so let me ask you this- Just what the _hell_ do you know that we haven't already figured out?" The seemingly menacing Pokemon questions with contempt as the other two of the trio stare at him in slight shock, while apparition incarnate remains uncaring. "I've had to stay here with these two ignoramuses and a _puny _speck under my own shadow, so do enlighten me 'Alpha'. Instead of wringing us with suspense and wasting our time, just tell us already…"

The _phantom_ guest among them was currently fuming on the inside, the only outward way to tell this was his crossed arms and constant finger/claw tapping upon his left appendage. He was internally debating whether or not to send this _little snake_ to the void even when in the presence of the 'Alpha', or just leave it be out of respect for the holy Pokemon and the two other trio before him. Truth be told, if it were not for the appearance of the "_Original One" _he would not have cared for the implications, if it meant showing this lizard what it means to be a Dark Type Pokemon. Coming back to his senses as the 'Alpha' begins to respond.

"You're right my son, I _do_ know something; And that something will be revealed soon enough," Begins the holy beast with a disarming chortle. "_Now_ as a heads-up for you my little rebel since you're currently the most… _proactive_ among us, we shall be meeting a dear old friend of mine, but we must hurry. My power will not be able to hold for a prolonged amount of time due to my current predicament, so! Let us be off!"

**. . .**

\- Pokemon -

[ -'s POV ]

"… _That _is my current predicament and the task I must complete dear sister." I finish my tale as it looks like sun is becoming one with the horizon and give a silent snort of amusement at her shocked face right before I continue. "You know, if you hold open your mouth for so long... you may just catch a Cutiefly with it."

"R-right… so, you pretty much do not have a choice in the matter. ...Well, could be worse I suppose, like being partnered with the Renegade Pokemon of all beasts."

Unknowingly trembling for a split second at that terrible prospect I get reminded of what I have to do in order to even _get_ to Unova, sighing loudly as a palm hits my face, catching the attention of my sister.

"I do believe that _cannot_ be anymore jinxed sister… regardless, how did you even find me? I made sure to keep hidden while I was traveling." I grow expectant as I saw her jostle before me.

"…It was those three from the lakes. Particularly the one you passed after exiting that city, I hope you do not think any less of them… I know how much you hate being stalled. Just… if you happen to encounter them, go easy on them, _please;_ For me?"

At her request and smile no one, not even myself could refuse, giving a curt nod of annoyance with my eyes closed I feel light beginning to form as my sister prepares to leave back to her own island, with her own request fulfilled from that _one_ of the_ three _little floating lake _pests. _After those thoughts as my sister is preparing to leave, I respond to her query.

"… That all depends on them sister… it _always _has…" I reply suspenseful, but with an undertone of ruefulness.

Seeing my hidden expression as if it wasn't even concealed in the first place, she smiles sadly at me with knowing eyes. She gives one last farewell, and takes off in a bright flash of light and glowing specs in her trail.

"… _Now, _lets continue where I left off… heading to the_** Returning Cave**_"

* * *

[ M's POV ]

. . .

Coming into this talk, I would be lying if I said that I was not getting cold feat; Figuring they would at least think of me as insane. _Surprisingly_ and better yet _comfortingly_ enough though, they were listening with rapt attention and only on occasion would one make a comment that I would answer swiftly after composing my thoughts surrounding their questions. The parts where I told them about my _misfortunes_ were always the most difficult things to talk about, however sharing them always made this better for me. Continuously speaking of _those events _brought a newfound peace to myself after I fessed up to my true new family; Especially since some of my own experiences were hitting home to Z, _hard._ _It's OK to cry little guy. _

As I finally reach the portion of my story pertaining to my death I begin to elaborate as to why I _had to die. _This got some all of them, even mom to look distraught as she was the most composed of them all, at the tragedy that was my very _existence_. _Doomed from birth_; _solitude _was a friend I got very close to at a young age up until my _fated_ death, and _survival_ was the lover that embraced me on every occasion I nearly passed. As when I ever came close to a premature death, my family known as _fortune _would step in to assist. Proud of myself whenever I got through those situations and living with those experiences through my 21 years of living back then and even now brings me a type of joy most people would never get; The burden I _carry _with me, _stays_ with me. It is just in a _different form_.

"… So… that about sums up how I was brought here." I finish with a heavy intake of breath; Quivering as I release it at the end of my speech. Not being able to look at them all with my eyes I stare at the folded hands on my lap. When suddenly I feel soft fur touch me.

"M_…_ I am; So sorry for not seeing it sooner… I'm sorry… I was… _selfishly_ pushing my own burden onto you when… I couldn't even see the exact same suffering from another… _please…_" Zorua ends off while sounding completely overtaken by anguish before finishing with a face covered in tears of regret. "I don't deserve such a _kind _person being my brother! Not… not after what I have _ignored_… I can't even believe myself! At heart, I really am just a… _useless __and powerless _dog,… I-I..."

Hearing him finally beginning to express himself- it brought tears to my eyes as well as I got down even further and hugged him. Letting him weep loudly into my shoulder as I picked him up and cradled him in a comforting embrace with a serene smile on my face and closed eyes. The others look at me with differing degrees of sobbing; All of which have smiles on their face. Before I knew it we were all affectionately squeezing each other with as much familial love as we could, and eventually we were all laughing with each other; Even Zoura. _Thank goodness… _I will address Z's issues later, as for now I have my plan that I need to go over with them, sighing lamentably catching the attention of everyone. I break from the hug walking backwards as I prepare for another lengthy speech; Looking up with a certain level of valor I speak once again.

"… I am sorry for ruining this moment, but there is _one more thing _we have to discuss. It pertains to the thing we discussed a long while ago N and just recently the thing I brought up with you Zorua. The coming future; How I know it, what I have prepared for us in order to avoid destruction, and for _I_ to stop Tyrants from rising and preventing the current oppressors of this world from continuing their influence on this globe!" I throw arms out as far as I could to express my point further before continuing. "_This! _My _**ideal world;**_ The one I hope to _create_ in the _future _of _this world_! Just as before, I shall not watch as injustice is perpetrated as no one truly does anything about it! Once again, I shall watch over this world as an unknown hero… as a _shadow_. It will be hard; Exceedingly so! However! That will just make it _all the more pleasing_ when I finally succeed in creating a world where people doused in darkness will finally be able to see the_ light_!"

Dropping my left arm and pulling my right close to my heart I give a face chock full of tenacity and dedication before throwing out my right arm with a bundled fist with a force equally equivalent to my roaring heart and opening my eyes, as a fire is burning intensely within; Displaying my true nature within my resolute gaze.

"I! Will! _Not_ permit the despairing of both people and Pokemon; _No more_… will sadness rule the hearts of the beaten and defeated! No more will people go without smiles in their life… I shall bathe them in my crepuscular light, as I watch over them; Silently embracing them and protecting them from evil ever bound. If I have to encase myself in the surrounding gloom to create the light of hope… then I shall do so with _no _hesitation..."

Lowering my right arm to my side, a soft smile and expression graces my face as I begin to calm myself; My _spirit_ and_ resolve _leaves my body after my elocution in front of my family. A gust of wind breaks through the trees creating a calm rustling noise as if nature itself was impressed with my articulation. I look up to my family and stare into their surprised expressions as I keep my arms down and place both my hands together, slightly crossing my fingers, I start.

"So… are you with me?" I ask to them both benevolently and expectantly.

\- Pokemon -

[ M's POV ]

Sitting at the cliff next to Wellspring Cave; My legs swing freely with the wind, I am overlooking Striaton City as the sun begins to set in the distance, giving the sky a welcoming orange radiance. A smile has been present on my face ever since the speech I had given to my family in the forest a few hours ago. They agreed! I was so happy at that, N was worried a bit about all of us; Especially me. I reassured him again that everything will go swimmingly so long as I do not change too much of the present. Though I had stated that my mere presence will change many things, so long as I do not implicate anything major, the base future should not change much, if at all. After N's query, I explained my plan to them. With those thoughts I smile even more.

'_N… you and everyone else here has grown _so much_, I __truly __had barely any faith in myself __to change things for the better w__hen I was suddenly placed into this situation. __I would be lying if I said I did not feel any trepidation. Once, however, I got started on things; It was as if I was a raging typhoon advancing without stop. Your current growth, as everyone else; Is not because me, but is by yourself. It is with pride that I get to view all of you… Thank you for giving me __this…__**Ahm**__.__'_

Relieving me of my thoughts, I hear familiar footsteps approach from behind. I turn my head slowly to glance at Zorua, who is looking at me with expectant eyes. Raising the side of my cheeks at the sight of that I stand and walk towards him, before kneeling in front of him and open up a dialogue.

"… You better now?"

"...I don't know…" Z replies with a downer tone in his voice.

"...It never gets better, you know. …Negative emotions are always prevalent in the mind of the developing individual. Especially to those who posses the high-order personality trait of Neuroticism... fellows like you. Now, there is nothing wrong with that; There never will be, it is only when you develop a conscious and how you improve that someone can _truly_ judge another… and from that judgment you can then see where they are as a person or Pokemon." Placing my hand on his head and petting him to reassure him even further. "It is simply not the case that you _should _have a positive opinion of yourself… it is that you _should not_ have an opinion of yourself in every situation you are placed in. Now that is not to say you should detach yourself from everything, that just leads to a development of narcissism, no. Only the important settings that allow you to grow as that individual you are striving to be... You are suffering from a Neurotic weakness of self image and the simple yet silent killer; Depression, an interesting thing I have noticed from most Dark, Ghost, and Poison Type Pokemon is that they are very Neurotic and that these three _especially_ posses a predisposition to acquire depression. Anyways, we will work on these two issues, I promise. So! To start on that, what you should begin with is to think you are as valuable as any other living being in this world, just as _most_ if not _all_ others think and express that similar courtesy towards you. The value by which you place yourself in; Our group would be a great beginning for this."

"I-I… wow, I never thought of it like that..." Zorua glances to the side in contemplation with furrowed brows. I smile as I notice he is thinking. That is good, and with that I continue.

"Now, for depression. You have already taken the greatest step, which is acknowledging the problem and seeking to fix it...That is what I am here for, so lets talk about the next step for alleviating depression. Let us say that you're conceptualizing your own failure, and as a result… you came to the conclusion that you're a '_useless and powerless dog' _because of that instance of _defeat_… correct?"

After a short pause of thinking Zorua nodded to that, and so I continued.

"From whatever hardship you have faced; So not only have things not been going very well for you, '… It's actually your own fault, but not only that; You brought it upon yourself and those around you.' You have been harboring this thought, yes?"

Zorua quickly glances up to M with wide eyes.

"… You have also swallowed a tough pill; You thought that, 'I could've done something better or different, in fact I knew it was avoidable, but I decided to do it anyway.' right?"

Now Z's bottom jaw drops as far as it could go and his eyes got even wider. Seeing this I continue.

"You have been having inner dilemmas such as, 'I did this' and 'How could I possibly repent for this...' haven't you?" I ask pleasantly in a non-aggressive way.

"..." Seeing Zorua in a catatonic state made me huff in amusement slightly. As I once again begin.

"...As we have already identified the _type_ of depression you currently have. The next step to absolving yourself of depression is to confront the adversity you have faced..."

At this statement the little fox comes out of his state and looks at me with confusion. Seeing this, I extend my statement.

"For this kind of instance, your best bet with this, but not only limited to; Is to shoulder your suffering, to take responsibility and to move forward. Now, that is not to say that you're not full of vulnerabilities. Everyone is. _No_, it is just the best tactic available, but just because it is your best tactic doesn't mean it'll work one hundred percent. So, you know what I did when I faced my troubles? I didn't use it as an excuse to fall behind, that would blur the lines between me and the problem… Doing that is very bad, so… if you find it too difficult and are thinking of stopping simply because of the first road block, what would you do, Zorua?" I inquire kindly to him.

"… I would say 'quit your whining, and just..." Coming to a realization in that moment, his eyes shoot open. "_Just do it."_

He looks up to me slowly and begins to feel something.

'_W-what is this, it's… so nice, like something heavy just left my shoulders. I can still feel its' presence, but...' _Zorua believes he is onto something and what M said had confirmed that. Looking up to his brother in anything but blood he smiles gratefully. "Thank you… M… you have done me so much good, I will_ never_ forget this… I-I have something to do now, so… I'll see you later. Farewell for now, nin-bro."

Z walks off towards an unknown location, and continues until he is out of sight. Sighing softly to himself M, move his hand to the front of his face and looks at it for a long time.

'_Thinking about this, I never really followed my own advice at first… But boy, am I glad I eventually did. Helping people… is the __**greatest**__ feeling ever… it really is...'_

Smiling to myself as I close my eyes and reopen them to glance at the final minutes of the sun.

'_The sun fades; Only to relight itself once again come morning with it's own will. A constant hope; One steeped in strife, does not make it righteous. Only once you come face to face with that hope, and grasp it with your own two hands… does it make it righteous….'_

"_..._That is the thing you were trying to make me realize once again… isn't that right **Ahm**? Heh, _they_ surely do work in _**mysterious **_ways don't they…?"

\- Pokemon -

[ M's POV ]

...At anytime now, _dear old pops _should make his appearance. In these years, ever since I could walk I have been intentionally putting myself out there. Spreading _rumors, gossip, and the hearsay_ of two kids who could speak and understand Pokemon; Intentionally "upsetting" the people of Accumula and Striaton in order to get_ his_ attention. _They_ picked up on it a lot quicker than I thought… Even though _father _is a patient man, _he _is most definitely vying for a "King".

There is no doubt in my mind, _he _will make his move soon… Hmph, come then, _abhorrent Tyrant_; Meet the oh so "_passive_" and "_disliked"_ princes. The _"innocent and naive" _brothers of _**ideal **_and _**truth **_that you will attempt to manipulate. We have already seen through your machinations and will uncover _**truth **_and pave the way to an _**ideal **_world and with you out of my mind I can finally start _my own ambition_. I can have true freedom and spread my teachings across the globe; Uniting all around me in safety.

… _Power _is what you seek, correct? _Oh Trickster, _I wonder how it will feel to have to rug pulled right out from under you as you bear witness to _our _power. _A Trickster getting tricked huh? Heh, how utterly ironic. _If that is the case… we shall be your Leprechaun then, walk to the rainbow; _Find the pot of gold, while seeking the owner._ _Take the o' so alluring gold; Take it! And get "hooked" into our own game of the mind. _After all... Leprechauns always win in the end due to human greed… and you _dear father_ are oh so very _gluttonous. _

Finishing my iambic thoughts, I proceed to jump easily to my feet from my prior laying position and jog towards my own training grounds in order to preform my workouts for my ectomorphic body type. I say _workouts_, but it really is just a small amount of calisthenics and a lot of running around, _lots _of running around. Do you know how difficult it is for an ectomorph body type to even _gain _muscle? It is ridiculous! I have to eat like crazy in order to even get some muscles to appear, _but guess what? _Since I am _still_ a kid, my already fast metabolism is even stronger. So you guessed it. It is near _impossible _to get any form of muscles quickly. I have to keep up a strict regiment, if I want any to appear. It'll take a good year or two more though, however, once I come of age it'll be so much easier when I am able to push my limits, since in my current state I could cause irreparable damage to myself if I stress my body too much.

Reaching the training grounds near a body of water and bridge, I begin to set everything up. _So_, Let us go onto what being an ectomorph entails; Basically I have to consume an exuberant amount of carbs at the moment, the best is usually complex carbs. This is most commonly found in brown rice and brown bread, fortunately enough, I have been getting a steady supply from a nice elder lady running a bakery from helping out around her shop and farm. Strangely enough, the bakery is where the Striation's Gym is suppose to be. The_ current _Gym is _actually_ located in the garden area where the statue was supposed to be, surprisingly, the Gym leader is said to be a pretty tough Grass Type Specialist, I wonder…

Anyhow, that elder lady that gives me bread for my help with maintaining her farm and the like? Turns out that she is the _grandmother_ of Cilian, Chili, and Cress! The _to-be _Gym Leaders of Striaton City, although it was kinda expected, it still surprised me. N and I somehow managed to squeeze into their little group of three and befriend them, even with all the rumors about us; Though that does not seem to faze the elder lady nor the three brothers all that much. They had even offered to take us in, we politely refused saying we wouldn't want to ruin their business with our presence.

Finished setting up the field for my training, I begin stretching; Stretching should always be done before exercising, lest you run the risk of muscle strain. My prior self can attain to this, since I am an ectomorph type however, I do not have to stretch all that much. In order to get the protein for muscle building to produce and sent to your available muscles, for ectomorphs; They need to spike their blood sugar, which is what I shall be doing after I finish stretching… aaand done. Completing my routine, I decide to sprint to Striaton City in order to get some brown bread for helping yesterday.

Coming upon the city in my sprint I vault from a fallen tree and hop to another one, using my built up momentum, I run up the tree using it as a foothold. I then leap into the bounds of the city, over the eight foot tall fence. Dusting off my pants and wiping my brow within the alley I arrived at; I open my eyes to see the three brothers of the bakery owner staring at me while... composed? Stretching my senses to their limit, I focus; Listening in for heavy breathing and looking for nervous sweat.

"..." The three stare at me in silence while also in the alley.

'..._Well damn_. Color me impressed, they are not even freaking out that a six year old vaulted over an extremely tall fence. _Most intriguing_…' I give them a disarming smile with closed eyes to alleviate the silence.

"… …" Seeing my smile the trio relax fully and begin to flash their own mix of signature grins and smiles at me in a friendly manner.

… They were observing me huh, _fascinating_. It's as if..._The pieces were coming together in my head. _They were attempting to discern if I was a threat…? Then a single stray memory hits me like a Donphan using Giga Impact.

'… _Hmmm, If you three are who I think you are… then…' _Continuing to use my prior expression as a poker face to hide my intentions… I; With unexpected speed, launch three dulled rocks hidden within my sleeves at the trio.

Seeing this action the three stay calm and just barely evade without any wasted movement and after quickly composing themselves; They a_ttempt_ to search for me… only to find that no one was there. Witnessing my disappearance the three get back to back and look around until they hear a whistle above them. Glancing towards the noise hastily they notice me crouching on the roof of the Pokemon Center. I stood up and gave them a friendly wink and smirk with a two fingered salute, then with deceptive speed for a six year old; Left behind a blur of my trail, disappearing behind the roof of the Pokemon Center.

"… … It would appear we have been deceived..." Starts the surprised blue haired, Cress.

"… Rather thoroughly too..." Adds on the green haired brother, Cilan equally surprised as Cress.

"Psssh, I didn't fall for nothin' ..." States Chili in an attempt to seem cool while he was "_burnt out"_.

The three question in their head as one, despite the rogue comment from the red headed brother. "_Where in the heck did another Ninja Family come from_?" As if the elder heard their unsaid question, the grandmother appears from a shadow; Seemingly out of nowhere.

"My, my, my… it would seem we have found ourselves in a precarious situation…" The elder woman trails off grimly with a serene voice.

"No worries gran, we should be able to find him pretty easily… in fact-" Chili stops mid sentence feeling her closed eyes on him.

"...No, I shall deal with this _myself_… if my instincts and prior knowledge of that kid are correct; Then this boy, M doesn't mean us any harm." The elder stated with a calming voice, however if you noticed there was an underlying tone of an order. "... You three head back now you hear? … It'll be getting _Dark _soon."

The trio stand at attention after hearing the work _dark_ and quickly disperse after a quick bow. Now standing by her lonesome in the alley she begins to walk out of the alley as she lets her mind wander, formulating multiple theories as to why their was another _heavily trained_ and _experienced _shinobi in their midst. The grandma walks back slowly to their bakery and comes to a conclusion as to how to proceed.

"… Perhaps the '_Skitty_' approach would be for the best..." The elder Kunoichi finalizes before disappearing into her bakery.

* * *

[ Zorua's POV ]

_**A song that really encapsulates this scene is, "We're in Heaven." I would request you to listen to this. Thank you.**_

_God_, I can't believe its been _ten years_ since coming here. I have been so _blinded_ by improving; By moving forward, that I forgot to take off the _leash_ to my own character, _stagnating myself_ in my quest to develop, that I neglected _you __both__; Your memory_.

Moving forward, is _not_ about finding new prospects for yourself; _The individual_, it is about bearing your past. …Wearing it like a warm cloak, and carrying it to the new heights you eventually reach. With my inner dialogue and recent realization, memories from my past flood within myself…

I know that now_… _

'_Darmanitan said your safe now… Dad. Mom.'_

**I _truly_, know that now...**

'_She said that you're both in a place called **Heaven**.'_

I know…

'_Pecha berries were always your favorites, right __Papa__?'_

But…

'_Mama said, she liked Sitrus berries more though; Didn't she?'_

It's hard…

'_I love Pecha. But Sitrus berries were a bit much for me… sorry Mama.'_

To love people…

'_I still eat them though! Aren't you proud of me Mama!'_

Knowing…

'_I learned how to preform __**S**__**cratch**__ recently… you're proud of me right; Papa, Mama?'_

That eventually…

'_Even while jumping!'_

The ones you love…

'_Can you see me? I miss you both!'_

Will pass on…

'… _Its been awhile.'_

Coming to terms with it though…

'… _Sorry I haven't been coming around much…'_

It makes it all the more…

'_I have been seeking ways to get better...'_

Difficult…

'_I really like training… But I still have that problem with Physical Moves…'_

You both were taken…

'… _I may not visit as much, but I still sleep in our nest.'_

Far too early…

'… _It is almost as if I can still __**feel**__ you there...'_

For your time…

'… _Sleeping was difficult at first. I learned to cope though…'_

Seeing so many others…

'_I try not to cry! But it still hurts me not having you here…!'_

Happy…

'_I really miss you two.' _

Always tears open those scars…

'_Can you see me…?'_

As if they were fresh wounds…

'_Its been nearly seven years now…'_

I met some new people...

'_I started getting down __**Dark Pulse**__…'_

It scared me at first…

'_I perfected it even …'_

But…

'_I hope you're proud of me...' _

I began to trust again…

'_I am also more responsible now…' _

Perhaps…

'… _I am not as useless anymore… right? Mom… Dad...'_

"**I should continue to trust them."**, I thought to myself…

'_Can you see me trying so hard out there…?'_

I am glad I did…

'_I started thinking, that maybe… not all humans are bad…'_

In contrast to my **worst** decision…

'_Do you both think I can ever be as strong as you…?'_

This was easily my **best **decision…

'_I know that you both will be with me forever, watching over me…'_

I am **finally **ready…

'_I try not to be sad…But it hurts…'_

To take you both with me…

'_I hope you both know that you're my heroes!'_

Lets go!

'_I love you both… **So much**…!' _

Together!

'_Can you see me…?'_

On an adventure!

'_I miss you two, alot!' _

'… _Mama… Papa, I miss you…'_

'_I miss you both, Mom… Dad…'_

**. . . . .**

"Sorry I'm so late… Father… Mother… I haven't really been myself lately. I didn't want to worry you both, but I feel like I can finally start pulling myself together. So… here is the first step! The both of you will live on within me… Continue to watch over and protect me, _please_. For what is to come, I will need everything I can get…And so… I'll take these from the stone I placed here so long ago… so you can always be with me, no matter what!"

A dug out hole from under a giant tree, where its' roots lie is before me, a stone next to the entrance; _My old home…_ The now final resting place of my father and mother under their headstone. Two hair beads, one _light blue_ and the other _yellow _are set on each side of the stone, the beads of my parents. Reaching for both, I grab one in my mouth and place in on the middle of my left leg, and repeating the process. I do the same with the other, but place it on my right leg this time. Standing back from the stone. I give my goodbyes to their _bodies_, as I take their _spirits _with me.

"Goodbye! Mother and Father! I shall never forget your sacrifice for as long as I hold these beads of yours… A future, is what you gave me… And I'll be damned it I let that future you gave me go to waste! And so, once again. Farewell my family!" With A giant smile on my face, I take off in sprint to where the others are supposed to be located. With warmth filling me, I sustain the previous speech in my head.

'_Soon! There will be an _adventure_, filled with _endless happiness_! I want you two there with me when we leave… As I will not be back for awhile; But that's Ok! … I have something to follow now. I am not merely going to do something without a plan. And so… I have made up my mind. I want to create the **ideal **world that 'M' envisions, with me by his side… and him by mine… All things come to an eventual end… it is by discovering this can one find what they truly want…this has been taught to me at a young age, and for the _longest time_ I had misunderstood; And to think I had felt despair over it! But now! It is a **guiding light **for me…'_

Leaping over a rock formation and coming to a clearing, I find all of my family enjoying the presence of each other. They notice me and look at me with enormous smiles threatening to break their cheeks, seeing this brought an even bigger smile to my own.

'_The meaning of life… I never really thought much about it… But now I understand why I was so __plagued __by my lack of ability. __Gaining strength became more than just the repentance I had placed on myself… I wanted to garner strength for my own reasons. I had realized this when I was in the company of my family, and when M expressed his __**ideals**_. _When the thought of never seeing them comes to mind, I do not think of it as despair anymore; No! It is a driving force that pushes me forward! So! I shall help M and my family in their times of need. I will be their __**strength**_! Just_ as you are for me now…I may not be the only one that can do this… but that is OK! The future you have provided for me will be used for this reason… Thank you. We may not have to create an __**ideal **__world in order to find meaning in life… sometimes… all you need, is something simple… Like someone to take care of.'_

Coming closer I leap into M's arms and as we embraced in a pleasant hug, one last thought runs through my head.

'_I'll keep living no matter what so that I can protect you… M.'_

"Thank you, for everything you have done for me M, I mean it..." I speak appreciatively as the hug continues.

"It is never any trouble, little guy. Come to me anytime you feel like you need a shoulder." M responds lovingly.

Our adventure is soon to come.

**[ As Tears Fall Away; Sorrow Ebbs With It ]**

"**Of That Hidden Within; Shadows And Suffering"**

**Chapter 2 End**

* * *

[ Author's Note ] This chapter had me crying on the last part, _can you imagine trying to write while balling your eyes out?!_ I never thought writing like this would put some things into perspective for myself. Writing Zorua has and will be my pleasure; And many more to come! So, how are ya'll doing on this fine day?! Also happy late new years. The last part of this chapter was written with inspiration from some of my favorite emotional scenes, scenes that have impacted me to this day. I wanted to honor them and their memory. Anyways, the next chapter will come out in _**Four Days**_, prepare the tissues for issues...

[ The "_Huehuehue_" Corner ]

\- I have no doubt you will be able to figure out who those were in the beginning! Though if you have not... hehehe~ I ain't sayin' nothin'.

\- Who is _**Ahm**_?!

\- The Ninja Family of the bakery... Who are they?! I wonder if you have figured out who the grandsons are... kekeke.


	4. Chapter 4

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ -'s POV ]

Being thorough is _always _good; Great in fact, it gets tasks done and most importantly, _correctly_. However, when a_ tool_breaks… can you _still_ be as productive as you were? The answer is simple. _Of course not_! Any _fool_ who uses a _broken _instrumentmust be an _idiot._ I. _Hate_. Idiots, with a _burning_ passion. Just listening to their asinine excuses makes even my virtually unusable right arm twitch in irritation as I try and hide it.

"Is there anymore available… _Pokemon_? We must not stall the beginning of '_our'_ glory any longer." I ask in an unsuspecting tone, which would fool on purpose.

"Oh! Sire! How good to see you! Also, er… no, apologies! There is not a single Pokemon available at the moment… They are all currently resting from those _prolonged _sessions of building. It is very inspirational to watch them work so hard for us though!" The Grunt begins shamefully, before exclaiming the second with a happy voice.

"Ah, yes it is indeed very inspirational watching these '_magnanimous_' beings assist us in '_our' _endeavor. I wish to ask you a question though, have you not received that notification about the schedules for these Pokemon?" Inquiring so I could get down to the bottom of how this happened.

"A notification on schedules…? No… apologies Sire, but I do not recall ever getting such documents." The unnamed Grunt answers with a thinking face.

"… I see, how disappointing. No matter, now; Return to your post, and when these Pokemon have had a 15 minute rest inform them all to return to work." Asking of someone to preform tasks is a bit iffy at the moment for me, especially after that previous blunder I just found out. And yet I ask, with deceptive kindness.

Turning and leaving I come back to my inner thoughts. We're slowly and steadily gaining members at every turn we make. Once I decide a suitable "candidate" from my current choices, I will then have everyone here become more proactive in spreading our views. It would be at this point that MY group should posses enough **power**, in order to expand further. …_Ambition requires patience though, remember that. _Calming myself down from my just recent high, passing a couple of doors, I enter a soon-to-be throne room. I walk to it slowly and keep my gaze on it. Upon reaching the throne I stand there, continuing to stare at it in silent contemplation.

'_Which one… __the up and coming brilliant young scientist with a drive equal to my own ambition? … __But he already has a developed mind; Manipulation will be nearly impossible, Last resort pick__. __Perhaps… __one __of those two_ defective _children down near Accumula__? T__he ones' rumored to be able to understand Pokemon; __They're young too, easily employed situations will get them to think in the way I wish. So...__w__hich one of th__ose __two children__would make the better "__K__ing" __for me__…' _

Becoming broken out of my stupor from the throne room dorms being opened, I turn to look at the elder... who had a smirk of triumph on his face. He quickly walked up to me with an ecstatic look upon him, his eyes are even open. _It seems to be good new__s__… _I conclude. Also walking forward we meet a few feet apart from one another.

"You seem excitable, find something interesting?" Questioning while already knowing the answer with a fake smile on my face.

"Yes! In fact, I have found the thing you have been searching for. Quite sometime now might I add. Information; On _**her **_whereabouts…" The purple clad elder grins slightly wickedly at me seeing my astonished face. "Indeed! Yes! Even better, I know where _**she**_ is currently. Also, those two 'candidates'-.

"I have nearly come to a conclusion on that little bit, had you not disturbed my thoughts by coming to find me… I would have already come to a conclusion..." Trailing off darkly with a serene smile on my face to force him to panic.

"A-apologies! I did not mean to-" He begins to panic.

"Mya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" I laugh uproariously in delight at his shaken state. "No need to worry, I was just jesting with you… That information you got for me though, _very good. _Just a bit more time now…"

The "_Violet_" man smiles kindly at me, but I can see the cold sweat built up on him. _Ah, how I love terrifying people so… _It always brings me such _joy._ Alright enough playing around, time to find out what he knows about that failure from earlier…

"If you have so much information… perhaps you know about that failure from earlier today…?" I allude in order to gauge his reaction.

"W-what '_failure_?'" He begins to become scared. _Good_…

"It would seem that the documents I asked not only you to pass on; But the other five. Have not done so… do you have any _information _on that…?" I trail off darkly as he begins to look terrified at my peaceful expression.

"The documents from earlier had important schedules; Deadlines that must be met… surely you know this, yes? So… _what happened to them…_?" Asking menacingly with but a smile on my face, barely showing any emotion; I am just _oh so wicked. _

"M-m-my Pokemon they-" The purple clothed man began.

"'_My Pokemon'_?!" I begin with fake surprise on my face. "_I never…_ Fix that attitude and perhaps… _Just perhaps;_ I'll forgive you for your negligence… after all you did bring me that fascinating little piece of information…_ Now go_… leave me to my thoughts..." I finish with an obviously deceitful smile in order to scare him further into leaving quickly…

And leave he did, the second my sentence was finished he bolted out the door. He is the only one of the "_six_" who knows who I truly am on the inside; And it makes it so _easy_ to control him now. _Fear really is a driving force, isn't it?_ Now… if I can just get that _woman_ on my side and have her train up a group of adequate body guards for me… A bit far off for now, though it is not wrong to plan ahead. After I choose my- _our,_ new "King" from those two down near Accumula and bring him in, I can make my move on _her_…

.

. .

. . .

"Wait… '_Choose_'?" As if some _god gifted _inspiration hit me; Like a Claydol using explosion. I begin to chuckle to myself, before long though, it erupts into flown blown maniacal laughter. As I begin to wheeze at the end of that session of insanity... My schemes begin to reconfigure themselves in my head. "Yes-YES! That is _PERFECT_! Why choose '_one_'; When I can have '_both'_!? OK, new plan! …I may have to rebuild this scheme of mine from the ground up, fix the parts without the other '_hero' _and make it to where instead of a single "_King_" it is _two_ "_Kings_"who will liberate Pokemon, TOGETHER!"

As I begin to chuckle again, that single thought repeats through my head, ecstasy begins to permeate through my being, as I begin to feel the "_power" _from the future coursing through my veins. Giving me a great feeling of accomplishment. Now to calm down… patience… _patience_… it has not even been done yet; Nor even put down on paper...

"Alright… I shall see where I can go with this…. 'T_wo Kings_' huh, that has not been done before… in fact it is a _really_ insane prospect; _'Two Kings ruling over the same area?'_ My, even in chess one King cannot stand next to the other when present on a chessboard. However…"

Giving a slow laugh that can only be described as diabolical, I begin to pace around the room. Forming the new plan in my head properly, I halt for a second in the middle of the room; Only to begin pacing even faster, it was as if my body was thinking as one with my mind. Stopping once again, I begin to tap my left foot on the ground slowly, and _slowly,_ until it evolves into stomping… and with a final push.

*WHAACK

A wicked sound of boot hitting floor pervades through the throne room as silence follows… _I've got it. That _is how I will do it_. _After finalizing my plots and composing myself I begin to head towards the doors and open them, walking down the corridor; Thoughts run through my head.

'_This will work, the two "_defective" _kids down in Accumula will be our "_Kings". _It's difficult to destroy a bond forged in strife, one they without a doubt have; So... I won't separate them. No, I will make them _as one_ instead… Yes… that is good. I will just _twist _and_ shape _the bond. Yes! _That, _will without a doubt come in handy… I suppose I will have to contact him anyways now. No matter, all he cares about it science...'_

Coming upon the door to my personal space, I open it and reveal a room tailored to me. After shutting the door to my room and locking it. I walk over to a certain part of the room with a giant shelf chock full of books that have an incalculable amount of knowledge in them, knowledge that I have found on my journeys through the world. Taking my hand, I grasp one and pull. A slight clicking noise is heard from behind the shelf, and slowly the shelf full of books turns with me and as I disappear behind the wall with a rotation; A new shelf is replaced with it, looking exactly the same. Walking to the table in the middle of the secret room that has a detailed map of Unova, with certain places marked with a banner resembling a shield. I observe the map with narrowed eyes as I begin to speak to myself once again.

"If I- No, _we_ are to become the rulers of this world; The _absolute power, w_e must be prepared…" Taking my eyes off of the map, I glance to my right with the ornamental eye patch facing a white board; Writings present on it. I walk to it, slowly and start once more. "To be prepared is to have _patience, _when _patience_ is finally present within oneself then and only then, can one truly begin preparations; And with preparations, my ambition forms."

I pick up a marker that was to the side of the whiteboard and begin to draw up the new plans I thought of, bringing my visions of grandeur alive. Continuing to put pen to board, I connect my previous statement with another.

"When this new plan is formed, I will make my move; Two kings cannot rule with the current system I have in place. I shall draft a new one, when the draft is done, I shall then move onto the plan I have just recently thought of; A plot that is so much more than just a scheme… _So much more _than my old one. If two kings cannot be next to each other on a chessboard of someone else's design... I shall simply create _my own board_. Hmmm, yes _that _will work… In order to bend that bond of my soon-to-be two _'__pieces'_. I will shape them with my own _**ideals **_and _**truth**_, granting the two the ability and grit to unlock the limitless power of _those two; _But_ first, _I will have to find both of _those pieces_ for the **Idealist**_. _Only people with a true desire for _**change**_ and a true desire for _**understanding **_can do it. _Molding _them will be _easy, _the hard part…" I trail off as I take my hand from the board and set down the pen, admiring the progress I have already made. "… Will be controlling these two incredible forces of duality. To do that… I'll need… _**Wuji**__…_ The _absence _of both _**Yin**__ and __**Yang**_..."

Finalizing everything, I give a hearty chuckle to emptiness in my room. **I shall "**_**freeze" **_**everything that gets in the way of my ambition!** **No matter **_**who**_** does **_**what**_**! ****I! AM! PERFECTION!**

* * *

[ M's POV ]

You would be surprised how much stuff people have just left around. How much you can find… Did I mention how much I scare myself? If you can figure out what I am referring to kudos to you. Now here is the _funny _thing, since I am an orphan without even an orphanage to belong; I am technically Illegally trespassing in this region's borders. Now… I highly doubt anyone in this world- or at least most people would really care if some random kid is walking down the street, people would not look at you; Officer Jennies who continue to eat their donuts would not even glance in your direction. So, what I am trying to say is… I am no one; Literally. I have no record of a name; At least to my knowledge, I most definitely do not have a birth certificate on hand. _Ohhh,_ you want my SSN? I could recite my old one to you… _buuut_ I do not think that will help in this case. I certainly do not have a passport nor a regional Issued ID or a driver's license for that matter. My University ID? Nahh, don't think that would work; _Riiight_, it's cause I do not attend a Uni anymore! All that money… A utility bill…? You do realize I live in a cave right? Or that hollowed out tree over there… _Oh_! There is also that spot under than boulder! Bank card? I wish… Visa? …Pfff, HAHAHAHAHA, no. I am guessing you can see the pattern here. Now, here is the predicament; I have SO. MUCH. STUFF. But I can't _do_ anything with it. I am guessing you may also be thinking… _"M where would all this stuff go?" _And boy do I have something _cool_ to show you guys!

Raising a cupped hand to my chest, directly under my amulet. I begin to chant the magic words…

"Abra! Kadabra! Alakazam! This amulet shall now spawn a Fire Gem!"

As if I really have magic powers, a Fire Gem appears with a wisp of darkness forming the object as it appears in my hand not even a second after I say Gem.

'_Without sarcasm now… I __knew of this since day one from my __dialogue__ with Ahm. However, since I lacked both Physical and Meta Physical ability, the amulet would remain in a dormant state, so color me surprised when__ something disappeared from my hands as I was looking at it; A __R__are __C__andy no less… Terrified me._'

Walking along the man made path, following the tracks of Zorua. Stepping around some mud so I do not dirty my running shoes, I still do not take my eyes off of Z's tracks though. And so, I continue my inner monologue as I follow the tracks he left.

'_I thought a Pokemon stole it or something, then I noticed that my __a__mulet's inscriptions __were glowing faintly. __Connecting the dots, it__ was then that I recalled my conversation with __him__. Thank 'god' for me being '__uploaded__' __with__ this worlds' 'Collective Unconscious' __as well as keeping my own memories; O__therwise I would think I was having a __sweet dream, or in this case a nightmare__. _Seriously_, loosing a rare candy is like the equivalent of stepping on a Lego… it's not funny unless you see it happen to someone else. __Anyways, the cool apart about this is as long as I continue to invest myself in training __my body__ the capacity of holding in the amulet will increase along with __me__! Now onto just how "_much_" I am holding within this dinky thing. Imagine doing a complete play through of whatever Pokemon game you choose, and I mean _100% of course,_ when I say this; Item collection especially. Remember how much stuff you had at the end of it… Yeaaah, now multiply that by like three? ...You got the number? Now remember when you thought that you'd never use nor sell any of it cause you made enough money anyways? Good, cause_ I WANT YOU TO SUFFER WITH ME!_ In a good way of course!'_

I begin to see bits of wood with red paint lying around, nodding to myself in affirmation of what has occurred, I proceed with following the footprints Zorua left behind for me. Thinking of something different this time.

'_And now I believe you have put the dots together; Yes! I cannot sell or purchase anything without any form of Identification… __at all. I _reaaally _am living up to my last known nickname __that my friend from__ my p__revious__ life __gave me__."The Unluckiest, __L__uckiest __M__an __A__live." … Eat your heart out __Guido Mista and Frane Selak! My fifty-seven near death experiences from my prior life __before I was even twenty __and with the random fortunes combined I _still _continued on without being known!'_

Coming to a stop I find Zorua lying down on a rock sleeping soundly, around him are scattered remains of targets. _Training hard, huh? _I walk to his curled up sleeping body as silent as I could be, and sit next to him. I then begin to pet him very softly so as to not wake him up. Halting as fast as I started petting him, I notice something.

'_There is no noise in the surroundings.'_

I get up slowly and crouch to the ground a bit ahead of the rock I was sitting at; Focusing my senses and closing my eyes, I become one with nature and listen in for anything out of the ordinary…

. . .

. . .

. . . *Kreetch

Eyes snapping open I quickly yet silently turn to seven O'clock and begin to sprint from my hunched state at where I believe the noise came from. Running up a tree and jumping to a branch of another, I swing and gain momentum to fly along to another and land swiftly, yet seemingly muted on a different branch. I hug the tree with my back against it and observe the silver-clad gentleman and gentlewoman who stepped on a stray branch.

They were walking away from the usual place they drop things off at for us. Seeing them get further away, I begin to shadow them with as much skill as I possessed. Walking until they reached a clearing I halted as they did and began listening in on their conversation.

"… Why do we always have to get assigned to baby sitting duty… It's so _boring."_ The woman with orange hair complains while slumping in unison with what she had said.

"We should feel good for taking care of the future 'Kings' though!" Said the belated orange haired man.

'… _King(s) as in plural, Hm…_ _Interesting move father, though I did anticipate this; It is not any less surprising, I am glad to see he is still stuck in his ambition as ever, greedy. Even then, I should not let my guard down. I _am_ dealing with a master manipulator after all...' _Ceasing my thoughts I begin to listen in once more.

"… Isn't it 'bout time we get these two tykes anyhow? … How long until we actually get around to takin' 'em? Do you remember?" Orange questions to her partner in shining armor.

"Do you not take the time to remember our mission directives babe?!" The equally shiny orange exclaims disappointingly.

"Not when I've got the best boyfriend in the world I don't~!" She swings side to side with quick blinking of the eyes and a overly done smile. Seeing this the man is caught off guard for a second before composing himself and responding to her earlier query with dusted pink cheeks.

'_Get a room you goofballs...' _I think to myself in mock annoyance, though I was happy for the two if I had to be honest.

"A-anyways! To answer your previous question, yes the time is coming; But not yet, our '_Team'_ is still spread out far and wide across '_the world_' looking for both halves of the Dark Stone and the complete White Stone..."

'"_Both Halves_...?"'I perk up at this in mild surprise as I continue to listen with renewed vigor.

"…Spreading out our forces like this makes situations related to this unavoidable. One more year, just one more. Then we can take our Kings home. Or at least that is what Sire said to us through these documents he gave us."

'_My speculation wasn't wrong I suppose, me being here did impact what Pops was planning, but it appears to roughly be the same overall, besides that comment earlier, "Both Halves.", I will need to investigate that. And Just the time for collecting us is pushed out further...Good, that gives me some more time to prepare myself and the others.' _Silently giving thanks to the two of them and hoping things go well with their relationship, I prepare to leave; But hearing something interesting made me stay awhile longer.

"Ah Christ! Another year!? Damn it… now that reminds me we gotta convince that hag to join us too… At least if she will, that elder can foster some adept protectors for our Kings; Not like us Grunts." She blurted out angrily while pulling at her two locks of hair sticking out of her chain mail hood.

Hearing this I was a bit thrown off, they were looking for-

"Can't an old lady like me catch a break from all this drama? … And without being called a _hag_ to boot..."

"I suppose not ma'am. Though I do apologize on her behalf for '_Orange's_' abrasive description of your age. People like _us_; Contrasting to our abilities, we tend to attract the bigger and noisier crowd quite frequently." I whisper back to voice currently next to me on the tree.

They were trying to indoctrinate Cilan, Chilli, and Cress's grandmother. I wonder about the situation surrounding their allegiance by saving them, this just got many layers deeper and I want to solve it … I'll speculate later though, I need to speak with her and just confirm it for myself.

"… Let us continue this talk elsewhere, honored elder… Please follow me."

She signs an agreement.

'_Good to know she understands and uses sign language as well...'_

Giving her a quick nod, I thrust myself forward mutely and speedily, leaping adeptly from branch to branch; Tree to tree and kicking off where ever I landed in order to keep my propulsion at a set speed. Trailing directly behind me with no effort is the Granny of the bakery.

'My nearly seven year old body really has slowed me down quit a lot… Least I am not falling behind in my pace; I would die of embarrassment...' Giving myself a despairing thought, I push forward with more perseverance than before and pick up speed along the way.

**\- Pokemon -**

[ M's POV ]

Finally reaching the secluded place that I come to whenever I need some peace and quiet. Welcome to the mountain right next to the Route 3 Daycare! You can even get an awesome glimpse at the newly hatched Pokemon and people that are playing together. It really is an innocent sight to behold. I sit on the edge of the cliff with legs kicking in the air as the Grandma from the bakery sits next to me as well.

"… So what _is _your real name gran? I do not believe with only the knowledge of you being a Nukenin helps me very much, as I am not familiar with the region of Ransei..." I declare knowing that all of what I said is correct.

...She sat there for awhile, more than likely reminiscing about her past. A neutral expression prevalent upon her face. As I watch her I cannot help but be drawn into her eyes, as they seem to have come back with some light in them. Her jaw begins to move as she responds.

"… My name is irrelevant at the moment, what is though; Is my experiences… But most of all, my family." She embarks as she looks upwards slightly. "I shall start with my experiences; With my time as a **W****arlord**."

Hearing the term, "Warlord" I instantly perk up. Expecting to hear something interesting from an Officer who was actually present during Ransei's Warring Era, it is not often people get to hear it from a "Warrior" who has the ability to transform and one who I believe participated in many battles, if those scars on her arms say anything about it… It's coming together now though. How the Shadow Triad seemingly had the power to immobilize people. It is because they had the blood of a "Warlord" coursing through them. They must have unlocked a "Warrior Skill" somewhere down the line in their training…

"The Kingdoms of Yaksha, Viperia, and once; My own Kingdom, Terrera all took part in a battle. The battle I will be referring to, will be the one of the many Nobunaga took control over, however; In this battle, he perished. This is the final battle I took part in before defecting to Unova. And the final battle Nobunaga fought in, before dying to the Hero of Ransei."

History is always written by the victor, that much is obvious. I wonder how much will be revealed in this tale of hers. I've always loved history, seeing things advance and grow right before your very eyes is just simply_ fascinating_ to me. There is also the dislike able parts of history; The history many wish to be forgotten. Remember this, history, although construed by the victors is always valuable no matter the reason. It is a piece of us, seen through the lens of one, in an attempt to convey to the many. This is why it is always good to reference so many texts, so one doesn't become manipulated by bias. Finishing my thoughts, gran begins her story.

"The Hero, having just recently "Linked" with _**Arceus**_, challenged Nobunaga to a battle at Dragnor's Tower. Nobunaga accepted and waited at the top of the tower for the Hero, here I was and my group consisting of '_The Mother Hen_' Nene, Hanzo 'The Reticent', and _Kotaro._" She finished with enough animosity at the name Kotaro to flood a room and drown everyone in it.

I stay quiet out of respect for her even coming out with this story, which gives gran the incentive to go ahead and continue.

"Having just… 'eliminated' all of Nobunaga's subordinates at the base of the tower; A battle of the centuries was taking place atop the top of the tower, both a **Black Rayquaza **and **Zekrom **were engaged in a battle with the '_Alpha_' Pokemon **Arceus**. Having finished up at the base of the tower everyone was watching in either anticipation or doubt. As the fight between Nobunaga and the Hero rage on, my own problems just started…

* * *

[ Gran's POV ]

"… For something so destructive it sure is beautiful isn't it..." Kotaro, the battle junkie attempts to sway us with callous words.

"You are something else Kotaro, _truly_. If Ransei were to have peace, I sincerely hope you can keep not only those claws dulled… but your mouth as well." Hanzo chides Kotaro with a very Blithe statement.

"..." Kotaro, while staying silent and watching the battle just smiles.

"Enough you two! … Just wait, the peace we have all been waiting for is upon us! Soon Ransei will be free of war!" Nene announces to everyone in a very militaristic style, yet with motherly love as well.

"… Yeah, soon." Not really in the mood to cheer like the others as her friend, the Scrafty passed just in the recent battle between Nobunaga's men.

_As things were looking to be finishing up atop the Dragnor Tower, a very loud clang is heard as a blade flies off the top of the tower and lands before Kotaro in a perfect position while stabbed deeply into the ground. This blade, was the sword of Nobunaga the Ambitious. Two roars of desperation are heard from the **Black Rayquaza** and **Zekrom **as they attempt to charge at the Hero who was about to end Nobunaga's life with a sword through the heart. Only to be stopped by **Arceus** who appeared before them with an exceedingly fast "Extreme Speed"… previously they had a chance to save their friend, but now the two could only watch as **Arceus** switches his Typing to Psychic and kept a hold on them with a powerful "Telekinesis". Without being able to move, the two Legendary Dragon Pokemon give a roar of utter despair as the Hero's blade is skewered into Nobunaga's heart. Ending his life shortly thereafter. With one final push; An attack of unbridled hatred is thrown at the Hero. Without being able to move from pure exhaustion and frustration at himself for not being able to see the _real _Nobunaga until the very last second he resolved to die there; Only for his Eevee to jump in front of the attack, perishing before his eyes._

_Everyone seeing this scene had felt utter humiliation at themselves, for being weak and helpless. May it be for their brothers and sisters in arms; Their friends and families, or really just the _one _person someone needed in life. Anger, bitterness, sadness, and hatred was permeating through out the battlefield. A fine line just barely holding the sanity of all those present together; A plea, Nay. A cry is heard from the Hero for everyone to put down their weapons. Disarm themselves and end the conflict once and for all. _

"… P-please stop this..." Gran was heard crying silently, unable to bear the emotional weight of both her friends and comrades dying before her.

_Seeing this Hanzo felt the need to coax her to feel better and as he was about to put a kind arm out for his best friend…_

_*SLEEENG_

_Hearing this vaguely familiar sound, Gran pulls her head up only to have blood thrown on her face. As she gets a better look at the scene before her she returns to the moment of her Scrafty's demise, and becomes despondent. As she is in this state nothing registers with her besides the yelling all around her as everyone who was about to disarm themselves had gotten the fire lit right on top of them and so returned the norm of the Warring of Ransei. Death. With death occurring everywhere two people began panicking heavily, the Hero and Nene._

"GOD! DAMN YOU TO HELL! KOTARO!" A loud screech of righteous indignation flew through the battle field from the top of Dragnor Tower.

"You must wake up! Come on…!We need to leave! **KIRIGIRI**!" With the yell of Gran's name from Nene she awoke from her stupor in the worst possible moment.

_*PUCCHII_

'_One last battle Weavile! Lets go!' Kirigiri yells determinedly_

'_Weav!' Her partner screams in agreement._

'_Almost there Weavile… Just a little bit more.' Kiri pushes harder and harder, until is shows in her voice._

'_Viiile!' Seeing his partner Weavile pushes further too._

'_Weavile!' Smiles an elated girl with no other emotion besides utter happiness._

'_Wea!' Smiles back with a grin filled with an equal amount of happiness._

"Weavile?"

. . .

"Weavile…!"

. . .

"Weavile, c'mon… this is just one of your p-pranks right?"

. . .

"...No… Weavile..."

"Yes."

Coming out of her saddened state, she met the eyes the killer possessed with her own, best friend Hanzo and her partner ever since she was a kid, the Weavile; Dead. And lets loose a gutteral scream of pure resentment.

"Ko… TAROOOOOOOOOO!" Attempting to take his life in exchange with her own, she can do nothing as she is pushed from the place she was at, as Nene smiles at her with tears in her eyes.

"… Run." Is all she says before she is also killed with a single stroke of Nobunaga's sword.

**\- Pokemon -**

[ M's POV ]

…War is truly a horrid thing. I'll say it once and I'll continue to say it again. I knew that already, _I've seen it already. _Hearing it from another though…? That was rough. I glance over to the now named Nukenin Kirigiri. She is just staring at the kids and newly hatched Pokemon beneath us. She breathes in and out a look of acceptance in her eyes, as she begins once again.

"I am dying."

I blink owlishly with my mouth slightly ajar.

"I do not have much time left, even now my body weakens. My mind may be sound, but my body has aged as much as it could." She gives me insight into her well being.

"...I-"

"We may not even know much about each other, but living so long with such a betrayal has given me insight on how to read people, you, M. Can be trusted with my _own _family." Kirigiri unexpectedly relegates me with the responsibility of three kids without hesitation, her own grand kids no less.

"W-what? But I-"

"Now… There is something I think we both know you will need in the future. Come."

Without warning she vanishes leaving behind a trail for me to follow. I, do not even know how to deal with… this kind of thing. kids? I mean, if it's those three then it is certainly possible. But the idea of a near seven year old orphan no less, taking care of three kids who are in fact older than me. It feels strange, I don't dislike it though… Sighing to myself, I get up and begin following the trail she left behind. I eventually come across a small cottage, entering I see nothing but the path she set before me.

Following and following, until I reach a flight of stairs leading down into darkness. Steeling my heart, I walk. I kept walking for what seemed like minutes, until I finally reached a light in the distance. Breaking through the stairway, I enter the room. Seeing Kirigiri in the middle of the room standing next to an assortment of items that I could not identify.

As the thoughts leave my head, my amulet starts to shake violently and lift itself and point in the direction of the cloth covered items. Walking forward with my amulet as a guide, I slowly peal off the cloth and from within reveals… two black arm sleeves with decorative forearm guards, a long dual colored hair band of black and white tied together, and a yellow yarn necklace. Just below it…

That… is an…

"Odd Keystone…? Where did you get this from Kirigiri?"

"It _was_ Hanzo's partner… Spiritomb… You will need to find a place of _great strife_ so that a _new_ Spiritomb will rise from the deceased one deep within the fissure inside of this Keystone, taking over for the now passed one… Life ultimately leads to death, and death breathes life into unsuspecting things. Especially new life… Now, just one more thing..." She speaks and once again gets reminiscent.

Pulling out a box made from some cleanly cut and smooth black rock. She hands me it and as I put my hands on it ready to take it from her. She tightens her grip and stares at me with a deadly gaze, one filled with just a single question.

"...Are you truly ready to change the world young man? I know you have seen things, possibly even more than I have… But are you truly prepared to create an **ideal world**, taking the reins of this planet we call home… and steering it into a place where Pokemon and people will never feel any sort of despair, for better or worse; Are. You. Ready?"

Looking at her with fiercely determined eyes, forever unfaltering even in the event of unimaginable catastrophe, as I tighten my grip on the box, I utter a simple two words...

"Watch me."

She looks at me with judging eyes that eventually soften into the Kirigiri I knew, as the baker. Not the Shinobi. She lets go…

Taking the box, I stare at it for a prolonged amount of time, then down to my amulet as it continues to harshly pull itself at the box, threatening to rip itself off of my neck. Seeing this I take the next step towards my now hand picked destiny; My hope. My **ideals**. Opening the box, to find…

… One of the two halves of the Dark Stone.

**[ Hope Rises as New Darkness Approaches...]**

**"Something Beginning and Something Ending"**

**Chapter 3 End**

* * *

[Authors Note ] - Alola everybody~. That amulet he has sure is something~. I wonder what is really is~. Now, how is everyone doing? Good, I hope. Next chapter will launch in **5 Days** at the latest. I may just release early, like this one; I want to pump out some chapters for ya'll before the 14th of this Month. That is when I start my semester, and this will cause me to update every 6-7 Days instead of the 2-5 Day updates.

[ I hab QuestioNZ AuthoR-SAMa ]

-What happened to Zekrom? Hehehehe, find out laterzzz.


	5. Chapter 5

[ M ] is Fortunate

[ M's POV ]

I find myself at a loss for how I am supposed to appreciate these gifts and so I say this only thing I can think of in this situation.

"Thank you, Kirigiri… Words _truly _cannot express…"

"It is of no consequence to me, though _I am_ certain you've noticed one other thing..." She trails off expectantly.

"Yes… I was just too caught up with the last two; It is a part of Nobunaga's gear, correct?" I inquire looking at the few items available lightly, knowing how much of a touchy subject it is.

"Indeed. Until the end, Nobunaga was an unconquerable adversary; One over flowing with ambition. Ambition… that eventually led to his downfall. I do hope you don't plan on dying any time soon… With what you're _carrying_ there _**is**_ no other choice but to go up." Huffing to herself in minor amusement, she continues. "Anyhow, we should be heading back. I observed your little pendant there, it takes things into a form of '_sub space_' for storing... correct?"

"We will go with that; It is actually much more complicated, but I digress, now I gotta wonder how long you have been watching me for...Its been like; What, two months?" I subtly ask Kirigiri.

"Just every now and then would I observe you, usually when you and that little Zorua train your butts off, but correct, two months ago is when I started inspecting. Did you notice that I was watching?" The elder of the bakery asks softly.

"I merely noticed the presence of something, I could not decipher what it was. But from my prior experiences with your family, I made an educated guess." Replying equally as softly, I begin to walk to the clothing and accessories that are displayed.

"Hmmm, now that I have gotten my side done; How about you explain why you have been tailing '_Team Plasma' Grunts_? I noticed that as well. … They're up to something, especially that _Ghetsis…_ Ever the schemer, I swear."

After hearing that question, I begin to think to come up with a viable answer; Grabbing a sleeve from the racket, putting it on, and following up with the forearm guard. I then take the other arm sleeve and arm guard, repeat the process from earlier, just on the opposite arm. Once deciding to tell the truth, I began.

"… Team Plasma is gunning for the liberation of Pokemon from human hands, to free Pokemon from the '_cages'_ known as Pokeballs. However, that is merely a cover to Ghetsis's real plan; World Domination, and it all starts with both N and I. He will make us '_Kings_' and attempt to manipulate us two by only allowing N and I to see and hear the things he wants us to. _Clearly_, that will not be happening as I am here now, my brother N will not be used as a puppet either. _Not this time..._ No, he will be the true master of himself. I have helped him, by placing him on that road. It is now up to N to make the decision for himself." I answered seriously and to the point.

Hearing a sigh, I turn and look at Kirigiri who now sporting a palm on her face. She takes her hand off after rubbing it down her face in mock annoyance and exhaustion. Clearly, she is about fed up with people like Ghetsis; I wouldn't and couldn't blame her truthfully.

"Always conflict no matter where you go, honestly..." She exclaims in exasperation.

Chuckling at her comment and body language, I finish tying the band into my hair, making a braided pony tail that reaches all the way down to my lower back. _Yes, I have long hair. Welcome to the soon to be Harmonia's. _After I finish with my hair I grasp the yarn necklace, and decide to tie it around my waist, letting the longer part of the necklace with the ornamental yarn sway about freely. Giving myself a one over, I hum in agreement with myself. _Not too shabby, __though I am going to have to do something about these arm guards and sleeves. They're too big for me. _Taking off the just equipped arm guards and sleeves, I respond.

"… This talk and your own story has given me much to think about; I want to gather allies,_ true allies_. Ones that will not betray you, but will also have their own set of ideals and truths to search for. It is with honor, that I have been fortunate enough to meet not only you; But your grand kids as well. And so, worry not. I will take care of them as if they were my own." Giving her my response from earlier about the grandchildren fiasco.

Kirigiri relaxes tremendously at that, but does not let it show too openly. Seeing my thought to be hidden inquisitive gaze, she understood immediately what I wished to know.

"… I have roughly two weeks to live, that is the rough estimate the doctors of Castelia have given me… Though, I do not fear death, as it comes to all eventually. It is only once you accept death... that you can become one with life." She responds to my unasked question, satiating my desire to know.

"Alright, thank you for that… Now we should be heading out, with this recent development; I have some things to check on in Nacrene City." I respond swiftly.

"Understood, Until we see each other again… M, farewell." She states before disappearing in a flash.

_Man I gotta learn how to do that… _I will ask her later about the techniques of the Shinobi in this world; In exchange for her guidance, I will guide her grandchildren with the arts of my own. _An equivalent exchange, even in death_. With that last though I also disperse from the cottage, and begin walking back to where Zorua was before all this started. Upon reaching the spot roughly thirty minutes later, I found him gone from his spot.

'_As expected I_ suppose...'

Looking at the tracks that tell a story of leaping off of the rock and into another place, I begin to follow them.

'_Now, Z. I do think you will be excited for this… Hehehe.'_

\- Pokemon -

[ M's POV ]

"WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!?" I hear the little fox scream into my ears, as he prances around happily.

"Kind of- but, yes in a way. We will be heading to Nacrene City so I can check up on a few things. Two of which, are very important to our future. The _rest_ of the time though we shall be locating valuable items and much to the same; Pokemon to battle, this is what you have been waiting for Z. For an _entire year_ you have not only trained in your **Innate Values**, but your **Effort Values **as well. Focusing primarily on Special Attack Moves and Speed, as well as the minor training put into your Health, the rest of the time has been spent sparring with the surrounding wild Pokemon and conditioning yourself, not actually gaining what you needed to grow; As you need to actually knock them unconscious for that to happen. There is no doubt in my mind Zorua, that when you reach the apex; You will be the strongest Zoroark of your species… Now, we can _finally_ build up the pyramid known as your **Battle Experience** and transcend you to an even higher level of being."

That combination of both_ Hyper_ and_ Super training_ was both very _efficient _and _effective_. It would and could have gone _a lot _faster though; _Had I actually been able to sell things!…_ I gotta stop thinking about our monetary situation, it gives me hemorrhages. But honestly, when I am able to, I will buy a lifetime supply of EVERY. SINGLE. VITAMIN. IN EXISTENCE! Not only that, but once I can get my hands on a few _Macho Braces_; We'll be pretty much be set for life.

Breaking me from my thoughts and hearing that Zorua was brimming with illustrious satisfaction with himself. He then let out a yip of content, and bounded to my shoulder. Rubbing his face against my cheek, I chuckle and scratch behind his ear. Taking him in tow with me, we leave to tell the others what the plan is regarding my little trek to Nacrene City. Spotting the tracks of N, after a bit of searching, I found them near a puddle of water, I follow them until I come across my family all gathered together and eating. Clapping my hand, I announce my presence and they all call me over.

"Brother! What have you been up to lately? We have not had much time to converse. Is something not adding up for you?" N deduces fairly quickly, and in response to his query; I answer.

"Yes, in fact we may have a problem. A problem I can fix, but a problem nonetheless..." I leave off darkly.

"The elder from the bakery we frequent. She is being targeted by Team Plasma, and some even more disturbing news… She is dying. Old age has finally caught up with her. She only has around two weeks left, before she passes on…"

Hearing this they all look a bit downtrodden, especially N; As he has gotten to know her the most out of us, besides myself. Seeming to come to a silent consensus, they all glance up and ask if there was anything they could do. Hearing this, I grew happy, so I respond.

"Yes! There is something that she has requested of me, I could ask you all to help with this if you're willing of course." Asking with a degree of trust that no one else besides these three have earned to this date.

Getting different degrees of agreement from them, I begin to smile. It's good to know I have such great people and Pokemon behind me. It really lets me live at ease… This is why I should most definitely search for allies to propagate, within this kind of cohesive unit; People and Pokemon can work as one!

"If ya 'ave some problems, just come talk to me! Despite how I act, I do posses _some_ wisdom ya know!" Darmanitan exclaims with playful teasing.

"You know it M! We got you covered, so you just do what you need to and we will hold down the fort!" Woobat proclaims!

"We've got your back M! Nothing can break us, nor tear us down. So long as we got each other; We are whole!" Zorua adds in happily. "So don't go getting worried for dumb reasons, you got that?! Nothing no one does will _ever_ tear us apart! Not even _**Arceus **_could!"

"Now, now; No need to be so cavalier Z. Of course we always must be prepared for challenges, but also; Our family must be willing to subtract themselves from the equation in case things get_ too _hectic. '_Live and fight another day_' as they say." N chides Zorua coolly.

Hearing all this, I could not help but smile greatly and show all my teeth. Jumping at them all, I grab them into a group hug, which they returned just as quickly. After I exit the hug, I begin to laugh and walk back slightly preparing to talk.

"Her grand kids! They will need help! If it were anyone else's kids, I would be worried; Rightfully so! However, these three posses the blood of the _Warlord Kirigiri_ from the Warring Region of Ransei. All three of them are trained rather proficiently as Ninja, so they should be rather low maintenance, however! They will without a doubt be feeling the pain at the loss of someone dear, so if it looks like they're having trouble coping, please help them… From here on out the three known as Cilan, Chili, and Cress are our family! Forever now and eternally!" Getting yells of agreement made me happy to know that I was acknowledged by the people I love. As the yells die down, I begin once more. "It displeases me to have to do this, but please let me be the one to tell them of the news. If their grandmother of course has not yet; And-or If she wishes to keep it hidden as well, I shall honor that! … _One more thing_, Zorua and I are heading out to Nacrene City for a couple of errands and may not be back until a couple of days later, if you; My family, will need _anything_, just come looking for us near the _Pinwheel Forest_!" Everyone nods their head at my speech to them.

"So brother M, what tasks are these _errands _you must complete? If you need my assistance as well, you just need ask… Woobat and I are readily available whenever you call." N reassures me.

"Thank you N, but the thing we will be doing requires a more; '_Cloak and dagger approach_'... if you get what I mean." I smile at him for his generosity. "Zorua and I shall head out now, we shall see you all in a couple days! Farewell for now my loved ones!"

I begin to walk out as Zorua re-seats himself on my shoulder by jumping there. Continuing my walk, I take in the scenes I have seen hundreds of times already and reminisce of some of the moments I have had here; Although brief, it has been everything but docile. Fun at every corner, and an endless amount of people and Pokemon to help, these near seven years have been the best moments of my current and prior life; No contest!

\- Pokemon -

[ M's POV ]

After a preliminary checking of things for travel and camping, I concluded that we had added everything correctly with no mistakes; And plenty of my water! I suppose I never went over my addiction to water! I make sure to have a Hydro Flask of cold_ Agua _no matter where I go. I've always _hated_ carbonated or caffeinated drinks, I avoid them like the _plague_… Now _and_ before, that is still a thing I am never going to change. I will drink milk on occasion; Once in a blue moon of course~. _Speaking of moons_! I _love _Tarot Card dealing! This may come as a shocker to you all, but… I was actually a Psychic before all of this, now I know you are _thinking_! I do not mean "_love potion to the face for one hundred dollars scam_" kind of Psychic. I meant it. Apparently I had such an accumulation of fortune that I developed the Meta-Physical ability of _literal_ Fortune Telling… You simply do not have any idea, how thankful I was for this ability, it saved so many peoples lives…

Coming to a stop, I take stock of where we currently are; Glancing around I take notice of the markings I left. _We're nearing the lake on Route 3, huh. Straight ahead then. Even weirder, there is no Pokemon around..._

It kept people away from me too; Which was a _good_ thing in the end actually, I could not really control the "_Talent" _I was born with, the one that had me develop as a Psychic; To put it in simple terms, _everything around me __would eventually die from __**Misfortune**_, _the absence of_ _**Fortune**_. You needed at least an hour of exposure, but you will eventually perish from some unexpected event by simply being in the area of me. So, after completing the four years of College with my Bachelors in Criminal Justice and an Associates in Natural Resource Science, I went onto become a Game Warden, living in solitude with the nature I love; Protecting it, while also protecting others. It was perfect for me… Ahm also thought so and thanked me for it!

Stopping I take notice of something off. _There are marks here… Burns; But not the usual kind. _Staring intently at it for a good bit, as if deciphering a code in some foreign language, I then take off once again. Zorua also seems to be thinking hard from what I can tell.

People would come on occasion for readings, I eventually built up this trust between the community of this city and myself. After word got around that I could literally tell the future of someone else and myself, I was sought after by so many people; A lot good, some bad. However, it was not my place to refuse someone else wishing to see their future. It was not as if I was held at gun point either; The occasional threat of thrashing my shop was a funny occurrence though. Always ended up with them having a black eye and perhaps even a missing tooth. _Too bad you didn't heed__ '_Eight's_'__ reading my friend__s_.~

Seeing some more markings of A burn applied to the surroundings, I continuously grow more and more on guard. I then notice one more thing. _Shadow Ball residue… the spherical markings from the surroundings support this… Strange, there should not be any Ghost Type Pokemon around here during this time of summer-Or here in Route 3 in general for that matter… _Shaking me from my thoughts, Zorua points his nose in the direction of the Preschool/Orphanage. Understanding what that means, we continue on ahead cautiously. Yet, still filled with joy, I continue my earlier thoughts.

Not only did I have this cool deck of custom made Tarot Cards, I also had an engraved Crystal Ball. Hah, I'm looking at you _Sandaime. _The other thing I utilize as a way to see the future is more of a joke; A real god damn funny one might I add, especially if you were present during the pool table game that one time; You'd die of laughter. TRUST ME. Inside jokes ahoy. I literally use a Magic Eight Ball to tell my fortune on occasion when I can't decide things myself in spur of the moment decisions. Yes, _that Magic Eight Ball_; I told you it was a joke, but seriously enough my great friend _Eight _like the other two, have saved my life more than once. I do not use this way of telling someones fortune/future unless they piss me off, like those thugs.

Now, you may be wondering how I developed an absolute love of the Fortune Telling business. Well, that is a story for another time; As we are approaching the Preschool that also functions as an orphanage right now, and... It would seem I have some business to take care of in there regarding a _certain group_ of Ghost Type Pokemon that are currently swarming together under the Orphanage's/Preschool's eaves and my now vibrating pendant.

Looking to Zorua for confirmation, he nods his head and jumps off of my shoulder. Ready in case of attack. Seeing his preparation, I put my hand down my sleevless black jacket, reaching for a deep pocket stored within the inside and pull out a black anti-dust cloth face mask; Vaguely reminiscent of masks used for surgery. After putting it on, I then slip on some black surgical gloves that I also grabbed from within the pocket. With a snap of the last glove to my hand, it fires off the start of an investigation.

I sign for Zorua to follow. As he nods once more, I take a crouched position and silently course my way up the short steps. As I reach the window I hear a faint thudding noise, getting closer to the window and grasping the Pokemera that just formed in my hand I peak inside and find nothing. Once again though, I hear more thudding. This time accompanied by a muffled sound of a smack… _One that sounds like leather against skin contact. _Frowning at the thought of abuse and eyes narrowing dangerously, my eyes dart to Zorua who also has the same expression as me, and I can even hear some barely audible growling from him.

Petting Z to calm him down, I sign to him again to prepare for entry. As he nods this time more slowly and determined. I take hold on the slightly cracked window and push it open just enough for me to get through silently, Zorua then hops from where he was sitting onto my shoulder. As I advance further inside, past the play mat on the ground the smacking noise evolved into whacking accompanied by whimpering. Frowning at the noise even further, my expression darkens as Zorua's does.

Seeing light break from an ajar door, I step closer and closer as the noise and whimpering evolves further and further making my teeth grind in conjunction with it. Reaching the door, I prepare my Pokemera by turning it on and I come to a sight that I am all too familiar with.

*WHHIEEP

*Hic

"Pl-please T-trish stop… Amata has h-had enough..." The only boy in the room attempts to reason…

"WHAAACK

"Gah!" Squeaks the little kid in hurt as he is sent tumbling to the ground.

...Only to get smacked across the face with a folded belt.

"Little bastard _pig_ _children_ like you two should not speak back to their betters!" Whispers menacingly the hag of the orphanage.

"Y-you are not my better… _you're just scum of this earth; a _pestilence_ to us kids_!" The kid with tears in his eyes mouths off dangerously, a sneer of disgust musters onto his hurting face.

'_Hmph, couldn't have said it any better myself little one...' _I think proudly to this abused tyke with a smirk present behind my mask.

"You little _shit_!" Screeches the old hag as she prepares to slap him over the face once more.

"P-please stop it!" Amata yells in horror.

The boy accepting of his fate with closed his eyes hardly with arms above his head as he prepared to get hit… Only for there not to be any contact… Opening one of his eyes, he sees a majestic looking shade of purple cover the Hagraven incarnate on every portion of her body; Halting her movements.

"W-what?!" The sick elder lady squeaks out slightly terrified and hurting from the Psychic Energy that surrounds her, forcing her to submit to it's will and keeping her from moving an inch.

"**It is **_**filth**_** like **_**you**_**..."**A calm yet menacing voice echos through the hallway behind the door.

Hearing this all three occupants of the room become silent. Seemingly with no choice but to await what is to come; At least for the old hag, as a feeling of dread washes over the terrified lady, and only the elder.

"**The _diseased..._" **The placid voice continues with a neutral tone. **"That prevents people and Pokemon from _dreaming..." _**

The ajar door to the room begins to open very, _very slowly._

"**Those kinds of actions only come from someone with an _ailment_..." **

The door starts creaking in tandem with the flat voice as it becomes more agape.

"**A _sickness_ of the_ mind_..." **

As the creaking slowly dies the door opens even further revealing an arm with a black polymer glove on it coming out of the shadows of the hallway.

"**Pokemon allow people to _dream_…" **The flat voice continues in a diabolic fashion. **"Conversely; People _also_ help Pokemon _dream_..." **

The door pushes fully open, slowly coming to a stop as the arm recedes back into the darkness of the corridor slowly…

"**The a**_fflicted_** like you… who wishes to disrupt that **_balance…_**with such revulsion…"**

From the darkness slow and controlled footsteps are heard… as a foot breaks from the shade.

"**I'll _cure_ the_ infected_ people like you with the _antidote_… A_ dose_ of_ reality_…" **

The full figure of the nearly seven year old M comes out of the shadow, with his Zorua still present on his shoulder, Z's eyes glowing blue to illustrate he is the one holding the old lady still. The elder hag looks about ready to loose it from the amount of fear she is feeling. Unable to do anything in this situation, but feel the frightening appeal of M closing in from behind her slowly; Her eyes roll into the back of her head, as she passes out. Her body just dangling in front of M, like a puppet without strings made the other two kids a bit fearful of the person and Pokemon standing before them.

"Now… let me _stabilize_ you…The _**shadow**_ that has taken afoot in your **ego**..." I drawl on ominously. "I will _cleanse_ it for you… Since you clearly are so weak as to take out your own inner debacle on others. To let _**that**_ control you… that you let such a _**creature**_ take a hold of you **fully**… pitiable dregs such as yourself; Rejoice… The doctor has come to _cure._" Conviction true in his voice; Nothing can stop M now, just as his _pendant_ is shaking with anticipation. He _too_, jaw clenched and grinding his teeth in righteous anger.

* * *

[ -'s POV ]

Migrating in our usual patterns, seeking out any and all dark emotions that humans project; _Feeding_ from those emotions to grow, that is what _we_ do… There is a common misconception about _us_, though there are a few of our species that do get a feeling of disturbing pleasure from taking in these emotions; There are even more though, that just go with the _flow_; Not even thinking about it… I find that to be the _most__ disturbing _of the two, if I had to be honest. Me? I like to think I am an outlier… especially if my _appearance_ says anything about it. I love eating these emotions, _solely_ to help people.

The situations Pokemon like us find ourselves in when we hunt for the darkness plaguing man; We tend to ignore them… it's sad really. I've always hated that about myself... I… can't just leave though. The others present here are the only ones I have known from my inception. To just abandon them, will I still be the self I've come to know…? Or perhaps grow into something even more sinister…

"Hey… You're thinking too much about this; You know that, right?" One of my floating brothers say to me in an attempt at consideration.

"Yeah, he's right… Just stay beside and _observe__; Feel_ what they feel, _take_ that feeling and let that be how you make up for never interfering... with the humans." Another says agreeing with the previous one.

"… Pokemon like us… do not have any other choice but to just observe these kind of things… We were born more in tune with negativity after all… just accept it… Nothing will change situations like these… acceptance is our only alternative." A calm yet mature voice speaks up from the group.

"..." Hearing the familiar voices of my family all trying to appease to me in their own ways only made me grow more and more frustrated within myself. Coming to a decision, I then float down away from the horde under the eaves and make my way to the window where the '_act_' is view able. I watch the scene and create a soft cry of remorse and eventually scrunch my eyes closed in both frustration and defeat. Beginning to float back up, I hear a voice that made me stop and turn around quickly.

"**It is _filth _like _you_..." **

Listening to the beginning of the speech of the mysterious human, all the current Pokemon begin feeling the noxious emotions flowing out of the now identified child; The build up of _food_ quickly becomes far more abundant within the household. Their hunger satisfied in mere seconds, my family begins to leave. I float still as a rock however; Watching this scene with eyes widening at every word he speaks and an open mouth, I continue to listen to his monologue until after the lady passes out.

"… The others are leaving… are you coming…?" Questions the mature voice from earlier, snapping me to attention.

"… I do… _not _think I am, I am sorry. _Seeing_ this… _Listening_ to this; Has made me feel something... foreign... I must confront this boy if I am to figure out what has been created inside of me, this '_creation_' that… _makes me feel like I want to do something. _Inversely, however, it is making me feel an equal amount of _inadequacy_. I wish to know what this is..."

The aged voice just stares at the back of the _puppet looking_ Pokemon for a good while before finally speaking. A look of understanding gracing its' face.

"I will inform the others of your decision and departure… I hope you find what you are looking for from that boy… just be careful. With the certain…_ aspects_ of yourself, you will be sought after by many humans. Most if not all of which will be of the _wrong_ intentions… All of us will continue on our way to our home by the shore if you ever find yourself wanting to come back; Feel free to… Goodbye and… l hope things go well for you." The sophisticated voice finishes and turns to fly away with the others before taking one last look at the young Pokemon and nodding silently to himself; He takes off to chase after the others.

Silently observing the resolved situation with apt attention, I notice the boy getting closer and closer to the now unconscious body of the abuser; The boy, getting roughly half way to his _"victim" _he begins to grab for the…

… That black trinket, what… is it? And why is it shaking so vigorously?

'_I feel such… _Wickedness… malice... _emanating from it; It is as if I am staring into an abyss… and it is staring back… How intriguing. Even more so… looking at that lavaliere and feeling it's inner depth I find myself hungry once again, I want to **taste it...**'_

Shaking my head from that thought, I notice him taking off the shaking necklace; Looking at it in contemplation with furrowed brows, his eyes then glace to the fallen elder. Turning his body fully he continues onward to the fell hag and connects the triangular shaped decoration attached to the chain with her forehead and begins to close his eyes.

_What is he doing? _Is the unanswered question of everyone present, except for Zorua. Squinting his eyes at the pendant, the _puppet looking_ Pokemon attempts to decipher his actions… Only until he feels a brief influx of impure energy leak from the pendant, does he '_think_' he begins to comprehend the situation unfolding in front of him.

"Escort the kids out Z, they do not need to see this…" Begins the kid outfitted in black. "Now. Go, before_ '**it'** _shows itself."

If the _**'it'**_ has anything to do with that prior leakage of impurity... this will be a sight to behold; I must watch. Let me understand… what I am feeling…

Zorua taking the situation seriously, barks briefly at the kids catching their attention and throwing his head to the side to get them to follow him; Taking notice of the action, the two kids run out the door, as the Zorua looks back at his partner and then begins to run after the kids as well. Seeing these interesting turn of events I watch with more intensity as the sole kid continues to hold the now more violently shaking ornament. When the kid with the black mask adopts a more focused facial expression, the surrounding area slowly begins to flood with immeasurably dismal essence as the pendant shakes even more violently than before. Opening his eyes quickly and pulling with all his might; Alluringly enough, it appears as though there is _resistance _to his pulling.

"_Come out and play…!_ You know as well as I do that you're _suffering _in that hags head of hers…! _Let me tell you_… taking control of her is _not_ the solution, it was merely the beginning of the many issues you've already perpetrated. Just like her! _She ignored you!_ Do not continue to make the same mistake as her… So, let me _cure_ you both so you can truly live as one! Face Trish… as the inner dark portion of her Psyche; As yourself!"

As I began to wonder who he was talking to. He re positioned himself and places the other hand in a guillotine grip on the current hand holding the struggling pendant. He pulls even harder with reestablished fervor; The encompassing aura of grim begins to quickly congregate back onto the pendant. As the energy finishes its return, the pendant gives way and at the end of the pendant connected to Trish's forehead is an all encompassing mass of ichor doused in black. The kid then moves the hand holding the pendant away from the being, in a slow and nonthreatening manner.

"What... is_ that_..." The puppet-esque Pokemon asks himself quietly in an attempt to keep himself hidden, not knowing that M was already aware of his presence.

'_It's entire being is just… _abyssal_ in nature, I cannot believe it's expelling such _power…_ So much so that there is actually psychical 'goo' drip falling to the ground, dissipating on contact with the floor.' _The floating Pokemon states to itself in an attempt to understanding the being in front of him. 'I… I… Why…? Why do I _**want to**_ _**eat it**_? So _**badly**_; No! Control yourself… you're better than this… _Shuppet_...'

"**Identify yourself, _Champion_… So that I can address you properly." **States the figure shrouded in darkness with a voice just above a whisper.

"Not until you release that _fake form _before me, let me look at the _real you_..." Counters the kid speedily with a tone that suggests _'no room for argument'_.

The shadowed being complies with no hesitation, as the true form is revealed; It shows another Trish, but the key difference is the forehead. There is a strange _triangular_ marking with inscriptions on it's forehead. The shadow of Trish is currently staring at the frame of the child, awaiting his introduction.

"...Good. I currently go by the first initial of my name, M. You can address me as so." The now identified kid, says politely.

"**Very well- M, I am that which is repressed, from there I am forged; As _The Shadow of Chaos, _if it were not for this dire situation I have found myself and Trish in… I would say it is a pleasure; But alas we have not the time to dilly dally, _Champion M_… Let us proceeded with the ritual at hand before anything else is done…" **Exclaimed Shadow Trish in a warbled voice of the original.

"Of course, now let us continue…" Agrees M, as he places his other hand on the pendant and presses his thumb to one of the sides of the triangular decoration.

A mere second after his thumb touches the ornament the inscriptions on the pendant flash in a soft blue-green light. M then quickly places it on the ground and backs away; Letting the necklace do the rest. As the triangle begins to modify itself into an opened version; When completed a deep and brief sound is heard from it as the chain of the pendant slowly swirling around itself, when completing a round of it's circumference, it forms a circle. Then as it finishes, a small and flat portal forms inside of the circle; Where it leads to, a mystery…

"You're as much as Trish as she is of you. This will make you realize that, now have a good rest while this _cure _takes care of everything for you." M states pleasantly, as he puts his hand out in a welcoming gesture towards to the miniature portal.

"**Your words are too kind; Thank you for this, though I believe I am undeserving of this chance… I shall not turn this down though." **Nodding to herself, she walks over to the rotating purple circle and touches it.

As her body is slowly being sucked into the purple hue atom by atom, she smiles at M with thanks and closes her eyes in acceptance as she fully disappears into the vortex. The portal then closes with her, having completed it's job; Giving a high pitched sound for a job well done and reconfigures itself back into it's original shape. Staring at the object on the floor for a few seconds, M closes his eyes briefly and shakes his head before walking over to the necklace and putting it back on.

. . .

"You can come inside now if you want… Shuppet."

[ M's POV ]

I didn't know Shadows were a real thing until I had that talk with Ahm, apparently they're turning into a widespread problem. One I had resolved to _cure_, and still plan to. Having to preform this _sacrament_ multiple times before this instance, has made it much easier. Though I loath to admit, I am still _very _inept at this kind of thing, at first I didn't know how to subdue the shadow visage. The biggest trick is, once it shows itself, you need to have it present its' _true form_ first… A blunder I made on the first try with this kind of thing; It went well in the end, but Zorua got hurt pretty badly cause of it._ I really do curse my lack of ID... _Steeling my resolve in that situation, I pushed forward and eventually managed to quell the resentment the shade was feeling. Looking back though, if you wonder how strong one of these things are once they manifest themselves into the real world; Think like, "enraged Djinns"… Yeah, _not fun_.

The reason these Shadow's are so easily angered is because of the "_malevolence" _surrounding their being when they first present themselves to us. _That ominous feeling and looking cloak around it? _You guessed it… It is literally the physical manifestation of an individual's inner darkness. After you get it to show it's _true form_, you then need to "_push it in the right direction" _or so to speak. Sometimes it is easy, like with this situation… Others not so much. And even then, once absorbed into the pendant, it kind of like, gives the Shadow a factory reset. These other sides of ourselves, they are very… _VERY_ resentful, having been pushed into the recesses of your mind and forgotten about and for _god knows how long_; Their inner negativity begins to flourish and grow, becoming _that. A Shadow of Chaos. _Once the procedure is done within this ornamental necklace, we can then proceed to phase two of the _cleansing. There is also that other issue pertaining to the process within the pendant… _

Ahm, seeing things get out of control as they have; Asked me to do this for him, and in exchange he would allow me to keep my prior_ **misfortune**_, after explaining what I meant by that; I reveled in what appeared to be surprise on _it's_… face? Now, I want you to know… Ahm is not your everyday "_being_" as you have no doubt guessed. He is the "_dungeon master"_ so to speak, but once the "_players_" are on the board he then has no control over _them_;_ Existentialism aside_, pertaining to individuals, he merely controls circumstantial things that have to do with the individual's state of body and mind; Even then though, it is not as much control as you'd think. Though… if he has enough time,_** he could eventually kill someone; Like he did me**_.

You... would think I hold resentment for Ahm, yes? No, looking at everything from the scope of my prior life's experiences to the conclusions I came to myself during that time _and_ listening to Ahm's explanation of my situation, that put far more perspective into a situation I truly did not even begin to comprehend. That ceased any and all hostility, and if _anything_… I never even had _any_ hostility. I _would_ miss my few friends and my adorable cat Vito; But that is really it. I never truly even had a _real _connection to my prior world… There _**was**_ my significant other though.

Growing solemn and reminiscent, I shake my head and continue my thoughts. _Now is not the time for that…_Continuing from earlier, I was more fascinated than anything; Intrigued I began to fire off questions left and right, Ahm was what appeared to be very happy to answer them too. Not long after though, we had _that important talk_. _Ah, right! That Shuppet floating outside the window! _

"You can come inside if you want… Shuppet."

**[ Coming Greatness; Creeping Spite ]**

"**Truth Begins to Unravel..."**

**Chapter 4 End**

* * *

[ Author's Note ] - It's a spree I am feeling I tell you! I just cannot stop writing. The next chapter will be coming out in **4 Days**, unless I decide to finish it earlier when I have free time. Now, to explain; I am sure you have noticed, these early chapters are just setting things up. It will be slow, we are however indeed trailblazing through this quite quickly, but we still got a ways to go before your boy M gets hit ID and Trainer Card, then he can finally use the normal things of life in this world. Once this introductory phase is over, we can get to the nitty gritty of an actual Pokemon Adventure. _Alright! _With that over I wish to ask something, do you all think I am writing well? I know I make literary mistakes, but that is simply me rushing out the writing and only fixing what I see and skim over. Is there anything wrong, even if just a gripe so I can fix it; Or at least do something that I think will fix it and appeal to me as well. Anyways thanks for reading as always.


	6. Chapter 6

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ Shuppet's POV ]

Hearing this stranger than life kid acknowledge my presence made me a bit wary. _How did he even know I was here...? _There are by far so many more questions than just that simple one. Going over the instances that just played through the window, was enough to make me even question my sanity… I decide to start with the simple question; The one I had been feeling like the most to ask, even now under these circumstances. Those two feelings from earlier still have not gone away… Help me understand, M. Phasing through the window and appearing before the dark green haired boy, I ask.

"...Why?"

"..." Getting a raised eyebrow at my question, as I was about to ask once more, he answered.

"To help people; And in extension, Pokemon of course. Before even coming here around the time dusk came about, I was walking through the woods to take a short cut that I created along time ago in order to head to Nacrene City if the need had ever arisen. On my way, however, I noticed the huddling Shuppet under the eaves of the building…" I then hear him give an almost inaudible chuckle. "There is a saying that floats around just as you do, the_ Puppet Pokemon_; "Shun the house where Shuppet gather in the growing dusk." The reason for that statement is obvious… Shuppet converge on highly dark emotions, they feast on them in fact. As you should know… the horns on a Shuppet's head are used for absorbing this negativity, and as a result they grow, some humans even _love_ your presence; Myself included, it is a good way to keep people regulated in a moderate fashion."

Hearing him dissect me without even physically touching me, made a shiver run up my spine. My curiosity however, only grew as he explained how he got here and my kinds _eating _habits. _Well… he is certainly knowledgeable..._

"Also, the fact that my amulet was vibrating in the first place sealed the deal that something was wrong... It will only vibrate for_ two things_, when something of _known_ great importance is in the area, or when a '_Shadow of Chaos_' is near. Obviously it was the latter considering all circumstances, though even if it was not. I would still check, although it is my duty as a… _Champion_. _My_ morals; _My _altruistic self would _not_ allow such dangers to continue. I have… ignored some of these things before, it made me feel… _**Inadequa**__**cy **_develop within me, like_ I _was the one doing the deed. So, instead of regretting it for the rest of my life, always thinking '_what ifs', _from there on... If I see the signs, I just… _do it_." While speaking, he takes off his right hands' glove, and holds that hand out to me.

When I heard the word '_inadequa__cy'_, my eyes enlarge slightly. Thoughts speeding at mach five, I struggle to come up with a response to his words; _His spirit_. _His self… __Him. _I can…sense the root of himself, the entity that is M now… Is he letting me…?

"I know Shuppet love negative feelings, _go on_… you can take look at_**'me'**_." Giving the go ahead for me to look at the inside of his head, where his feelings manifest at, I just couldn't help myself to uncover the '_kid_' known as M, honestly.

With a nod of my head, I touch his hand with my horn; Beginning the search of this… _Individual's_ head. Closing my eyes and letting my body ease up, I begin to feel the pull on my consciousness to another. With myself now emotionally connected to M and without any reference to fall back on, I search and attempt to feel for anything pertaining to a "_Shadow of Chaos_", looking for anything remotely relate able to those three words… I find nothing. Such darkness is not here- No, perhaps... it it in another shape…? Keeping my eyes closed I continue to search for what I am looking for, only to hear a voice.

"**You will not find what you're looking for, pursuing in such a fashion… **You first must search for the _light_, to find _darkness_." A strangely split voice speaks to me, first in an eloquent yet stern voice and then in a kind yet archaic tone;_Both _however are speaking in riddle.

"… I am seeking out incorrectly? Light… search for it…" I frown in contemplation, before figuring out that is was a riddle. "… I see, how silly of me. Thank you for your guidance."

While continuing to decipher the riddle, a stray thought runs through my head; _Whose voice was that_? Knowing full well that I was inside of M's head at the moment, I figured it was his. There was something missing though… _It has to do with that riddle doesn't it…_? Coming to that conclusion, I focus all my attention to the riddle. As I continue my process of thought and come to a few that do not pan out, the voice speaks once more.

"There are those that remain vigilant. That may run after truth; Intentional or not… **H****owever, they only succeed in remaining stagnan****t, how utterly blinded they are...**Hmhmhm...** Huahahaha..." **More the self intrinsic voice speaks, alluding to something.

'Remain'? '_Run after_…'? '… Stagnant…'

.

. .

. . .

'_Blinded?' … _I've got it.

"The answer was..." I begin, while opening the closed eyes I've had since the beginning.

"Right in front of me the whole time." I finish and inspect the figure in front of me, it is like staring at two sides of the same coin; But both at once…

"**Correct… **Astute; Most impressive… **Did not take you very long… **To elucidate the flummox of… **My creation."**

A now much taller and older version of M stands before me, however this one is far different. Short black hair with white highlights that fade into gray upon connection with the black portion. His eyes are relatively normal… iris perhaps a bit too dark; The striking thing about them though, are that his pupils are pure white instead of the normal black. They, although are very big and make you feel warm and welcomed, conversely make you feel like you're being judged constantly, it made me stand at attention when I first saw them. His eyebrows were thick at first then, just as they were relatively big; Curved out to a very thin line of hair. The brow on the left has a slight scar running down the middle of it, preventing hair from being created. A nose that complemented his eyes, was present; Once again though, another scar… Perhaps too large this time split down his left nostril in the same way of the eyebrow. It appeared to have healed properly. A rather nicely defined face though, easy on everyone's eyes, the perfect encapsulation of a welcoming person; Both inside and out.

His outfit, however… contrary to his face, _Unique _and clearly _hiding _something; Are the words I would use to describe it. _It_, although concealed by a rather well put together white suit and tie with a black vest arrangement; Was covered by an opened gray waist length jacket with no visible way to conceal the inside. The hood of the jacket was lined with overly large and thick black fur with white tint at the ends of the strands; It has two very large pockets for hands, and the sleeves are very short, only barely coming down to the forearms, covering his elbows. The pants, and shoes, however just scream "comfortable" and "ready". Baggy and loose black travel pants, with no belt. Shoes that you just purchase on the fly for 30 to 50 dollars.

This body, just as the current M, is relatively the same; The only visible way to tell if he had a toned and conditioned body were the forearms and hands which appeared to be honed like steel and wrought with experience, the hands especially looked like they were abused and grafted by a belt sander on the _hourly_; Very callused. A _sheathed blade _always at the ready, is what I am getting from this man's appearance. Snapping myself out of my trance that lasted a few seconds, I begin to fire away with my questions pertaining to himself and what just occurred.

"You are… M correct? Why do you look so different?"

"**Starting off simple, eh? **Yes, I am M; The one, the whole… **The all… I may appear different. **But I assure you I am anything but… **Now, onto your second question… **I resemble nothing of the current M… **Because I have been gifted happiness by a friend. **This allowed me to live out what I had missed previously… **Due to complications with my **_**creation. **_The effects that it had on not only myself; But many, _many_ others… **And what**_** it **_**could do if I stayed any longer. **To summarize, I am not from here. **I am from an entirely different reality…" **M responds reasonably.

"Oh my, that is… not what I expected?" I try to state casually.

"Hmhmhm~… **I doubt most, if any would expect **_**this. **_There is no need for you to be so stressed;** Just take this in stride, that **_**really**_** helps.**_**" **_Neo-M responds kindly.

"Alright… if you say so. _So_, what are you exactly? You do not feel anything similar to that Shadow of Chaos… Are you something else entirely?"

"I am indeed nothing like that _creature… _**For you****r Ego**** to get corrupted as Trish's did… **You must first be unwilling to face your other Psyche. **By repressing that side of yourself you run the risk of it becoming more dominate and powerful than your Ego. **Once the shadow has corrupted your being, you slowly become what you ignored. **Thus a Shadow of Chaos is born, one that has taken control. **Now for the reason we are nothing alike… **It may sound simple, it is anything but however. **You must come to terms with what evil you're capable of as a living, conscious being. **Embrace that inner wickedness; Cultivate it properly… **Then, you must balance either your _Anima_ or _Animus_. **Once balance has been drafted, you must then address the archetype known as '**_**Persona**_**'. **The mask every being uses may it be for a family, friend, or any other occasion. **You must differentiate between yourself and your Persona, or you run the risk of **_**stagnation**_**. **Once the differences have been acknowledged between the two… **It is then that you can create a **_**'True Self'**_**, ****an individual of wisdom and humility. **Taking in things from any sort of opportunity and identifying within oneself from another, and believing… **'**_**I am capable of doing this.' **_**Whether or not it is good or bad**_**.**_When this state is achieved only then can one begin to reach its' full potential. **That is what I am, T**h**e **T**r**u**e **S**e**l**f." **The '_True Self_' finishes in unison.

"Oh dearest me… I appear to have stumbled upon something… fascinating. That can wait though, I have many more questions… If you are willing to answer them…?" I ask hopefully.

"Of course, we have all the time in the world._**Literally**_**, take your time and be ****as**** thorough ****as possible****." **M states to me benevolently.

Smiling for the first time in a long time, I traipse my way through the questions and he answers to the best of his ability. Though strange events had led me here, I just "_Took the Tauros by the horns_" and trudged on. Having come to my final question, I ask…

"M, when watching you preform these actions up until that 'cleansing' I found myself… _Feeling something_, from asking all these questions I do believe I know what that is now. I was _inspired_ to just _do_. But I _didn't_… I believe that is where my inadequacy stemmed from. I wish to get better… I want to help people and Pokemon just as you _do_ and _will_! And so… that brings me to my final question… I want to know…

. . . . .

… Can I be your Pokemon M?… Can I do my best to make your dreams come true… and you make mine?"

After that question I begin to feel a tug on my consciousness as I blank out for a second, and appear before the current M. I sit in silence and just look him in the eyes with all the seriousness I could muster, as he too stares me in the eyes. As I begin to feel down, he reaches out with his ungloved hand and pets my head.

"It would be an honor to have such a kind Pokemon be my partner… I do not currently though, posses any form of identification. It is illegal after all to have unregistered Pokemon '_in Pokeballs'_ actually… So I can't in good consciousness just catch you with that at play here. What I _can_ do however… is I can invite you to my family that I am currently living with. Once I get my Regional Issued ID, I can then get a Trainers License from there… As you currently can see though I have my arms tied behind my back. If I attempt to get an ID with my current _situation _I will be brought into an orphanage without a doubt, though I am confident I can escape… It will bring unneeded attention to _us_. So, until that day happens… Shuppet you who wishes to be my Pokemon. I accept, however until the appropriate time, you must wait for it to be official... So, would you like to join my own family until then?" M finishes accepting my offer and presents his own.

"Of course I accept! Thank you…" I expounded with elation and a smile that lets my overly large tongue droop out.

M then moves his mask with two fingers so I can see his own smile.

* * *

[ Lenora's POV ]

You know... It is not very often I find myself loosing backbone, especially to a _kid._ At just about seven years old this little chap just comes waltzing right up to my door at the brink of dawn with an old lady and her hands tied behind her back. A morose expression present on her face; As if she was just on the receiving end of an argument, one that went the worst way possible. Trailing just behind these two are twenty or so kids of varying ages, at the back of these tykes are two Pokemon; A Zorua and a Shuppet, my eyes widen slightly at the Ghost Type's appearance. Now when I saw this sight I was completely baffled, so much so that I actually took a step back. After hearing what he said though… Made me a _very _agitated Archaeologist. It is not often that I find myself angry either, but just hearing these kids talk about their experiences at the Orphanage made a frown come to my face. It took all I had not to grab a fossil from one of the cases and wallop this _hag_ with it.

So, here I am in my office with the little adolescent hero who preformed a _citizen's arrest_ on an abusive hag, which is actually legal according to him, since she has preformed _Multiple_ _Felony Charges of Child Abuse_. However he did explain that it definitely was _not legal_ to just enter private property like that, even if for the right reasons. Though as he and I thought, he could just get away with a slap on the wrist for this. If it was up to me however, I'd give him a medal first… before hitting him over the head with it. It wasn't even until I started actually having a dialogue that I got enough context about the boy…

"So… you were walking around _at dusk _with your Zorua when you came upon the Orphanage..."

"Yes, noticing immediately that something was off when I first started seeing **Will o' Wisps** applied to the surrounding trees and left over evidence of **Shadow Balls **being used, I continued onward cautiously… Stopping near the Orphanage I notice all the Shuppet dangling from the building's eaves, clearly they were feasting on the dark emotions of something in the house." The heroic kid states while getting an agreeing nod of the head from the Shuppet next to him.

"...OK, so… it appears your Shuppet agrees with what is going on so far. Then… Shuppet," Adressing the Shuppet next, I begin questioning it. "When the other Shuppet came across the house, you felt these 'negative emotions' too correct?"

"Shuuup" The Puppet Pokemon looks to M and cries to him.

"… He said they all felt the combined emotions of vindictiveness; A 'favorite' of Shuppet, also an equally large amount of anger and sadness." The kid… what?

"Excuse me? Ho-"

"I can understand Pokemon and hear their inner voices as well..." The little one answers, almost as if practiced, I begin to be skeptical at that sign.

"That so?… OK, then perhaps you could translate my Watchog for me? Could you do that?" I ask prodding to see if he is lying.

"OK, send him out; _You know what_? In fact, give me your whole line-up… That means Audino, Clefable, Kangaskhan, Sawsbuck, Dunsparce, Braviary, Cinccino, and Lickilicky. _All of them._" The now quasi irritated child challenges me… Oh, _heellll no._

"… Alright then, let me grab their Pokeballs. I'll be right back. _Right back_..." I leave off threateningly to try and scare him, it only succeeds in making him snort.

Damn kid, you gotta a lot backbone; _I respect that_, but Lenora ain't one to turn down a challenge like that. Getting up from my chair with an angry vein on the side of my head, I make my way to the corridor that leads to my bedroom. Thinking about what he said though…

'_He named my entire line-up like it was nothing… Does he have prior knowledge from my league battles? Perhaps… I suppose though, if he is one of the two rumored kids to be able to understand and talk to Pokemon. It would explain why he was so confident, it would also explain that Zorua of his… Damn it! Now I feel stupid…Though it wouldn't be so bad; My curiosity is peaking at the moment. You better be one of them kids, or Lenora's gonna have at it boy...'_ After collecting the numerous Pokeballs in my room, I return to find them talking to each other, I decide to stay back and listen in.

"Shuppet, it is alright… I can indeed speak _and _hear the inner voices of _all_ types of Pokemon no matter who they're." Once again he states, but adds on another layer of his potential ability.

Shuppet gives a cry of what appears to be surprise.

"Yes, but _understanding_ is not the same as _knowing_… I do not mind though. I love helping Pokemon and thus helping humans as well. Sure, that hag is reproachable; But after I '_cleansed_' her, she began to '_see more_' as a result. That kind of hatred came from somewhere; Which it did, however that does not mean I forgive her, nor may the other kids… she_ 'knows that'_ as well. It means '_I can understand' _her, she will pay for what she did. One way or another regardless of what I do, that is karma for you- And it is not polite to listen to others' conversations Ms. Lenora, come on out now." He speaks as if reproaching a child.

Jumping a bit, I quickly come out and cough into my hand before once again sitting down. Looking at these two, I can see the beginning of a dynamic; What it is though, remains a mystery.

"...Alright, I've got them on the ready. But the real question is- _Are you_?" I ask once more for confirmation.

"Of course, bring them out… But do be prepared, they may say some… _things_ you don't want others hearing..." He warns fairly.

"HAH! OK, well then. Let us begin… Come out all of you!" I state as I lob them all around us.

"...Alright, this little kid believes he can understand Pokemon and '_hear their inner voices_' could you all prove if this is true for me?" Getting nods directly after she asked, she smiles."OK then! We can start-"

"Dunsparce… Have you encountered any Diglett or Dugtrio in your tunnels before?"

"Dyu..." Dunsparce reminisces while appearing to recall a nice memory.

"Ah, so before you became Lenora's Pokemon you made of friend of one, that's nice! I hope you two meet again someday." The now smiling child proclaims.

He then turns around and… now has a Normal Gem in his hand… what?!

"Here! For you Dunsparce… Sorry it isn't anything better, it's all I've got that you may like."

"Dyuuu!"

"You're welcome!" He finishes and turns to the Licky Licky.

As he begins a dialogue with all of them, each one before the other scoring a surprised expression on their faces. When he is done talking to them, he gifts them all a Normal Gem. I stand here baffled, by this turn of events. _He really can understand Pokemon..._Well I'll be, count me even more curious about this tyke now! The introductions ended and now they all are having a conversation about the Gym and the Museum.

"Oh! So the giant remains of the Ancient Dragon Pokemon is a new addition… Pretty neat. I gotta say though, it looks like a Dragonite... have any of you ever seen a Dragonite in person? They can actually fly all around the entire globe in less than sixteen hours… I also heard from somewhere that they love giving hugs… However, never incur the wrath of one! It'll smash everything to pieces... Once upon a time it was also known as the "Sea Incarnate", they frequently rescue people and ships stranded at sea… It is also said that somewhere out in the ocean there is an island solely for these Pokemon..." The child gives background information on a Dragonite like it Is nothing, and all my Pokemon stand at attention while listening very intensely. After they finish asking questions, the group then goes onto talk about me… I think.

"She…*Snrk, She did… what?! Hahaha!" The now uproarious child laughs at my expense.

"Hey! What'd you all say?!_ Ohhh_, leaving me out huh… OK, I see how it is..." I feel a little agitated, but I am glad they're having fun.

Soon they all finish their dialogue, clearly he can understand them… Well; You loose some, you win some Lenora. Seeing them finish and give goodbyes I take their Pokeballs and send them back, all the while the kid is just… staring at me. Seeing the staring I was about to ask what was wrong, until…

"I am sorry. I was a bit… rude earlier, this… precarious situation has had a rather hard impact to myself. I apologize, _really_." The now apologizing kid gives a nod of the head in a partial bow.

"A-ah, right. Well it is understandable… I don't believe it is every day that someone makes a citizen's arrest; Even less so when it is _preformed by a child._" I start up the conversation from a while back once again. "Seeing something like that too… probably did not help at all either, huh?"

"Nope… it did not, I was fairly angry at her. I was debating whether or not to just toss her out of the window and let the Shuppet have a go at her, if I had to be honest." He gives a wry smile with closed eyes.

"Hah! I'd probably do the same! So… you did not go through the whole story yet, can we continue? Oh, right. I forgot to ask your name..." I ask politely and then in mock sorrow.

"Of course! Lets. I just go by M." He says frankly.

* * *

[ Shuppet's POV ]

"I _had _no way of quickly contacting anyone, I do not own any form of technology besides that Pokemera with that video evidence on it."

"...What? You mean… you do not have _anything_? Just the camera? No C-Gear? _Nothing_? Wait, you said you were at the Orphanage at _dusk,_ don't you got a curfew M?"

"… I don't; No, but it isn't in the fashion you're thinking… Also, I- I can't be brought up when the Police Force comes to escort her to Castelia. It would bring… unnecessary trouble to myself and my family." M states remorsefully.

"...OK, but can I get a bigger picture of the '_why_' before we continue? Please?" The Gym Leader asks softly.

… I wonder if this pertains to those ID's humans love, well except M. He seems to always be annoyed at them. Just how many uses, does this "_ID_" have I wonder. If it has so many, then no wonder I find M exasperated by this. He always makes sure to inform me that despite the "_annoyance_" they are like a requirement, it will just take him time to truly get one. Once he does however, it will be like the _rocks he has been dragging will finally be able to be cast away…_ I anticipate this, truly.

"Alright… I have... no form of Identification; And when I say that, _I mean it_. At first it didn't bother me at all, but I always knew I would have to get one. I literally do not have anything that can ID me,_ I do not exist_. By all means, look for _ANY _information pertaining to me… I doubt you would find _anything_, I was raised by a Darmanitan, Woobat, and that Zorua that is keeping an eye on the hag; All of which I consider family, and now the new addition, Shuppet. There is also my brother N, who happens to be in the same situation. If anything were to… _happen_, all that would just fall apart." M sorrowfully bellows.

Seeing the usually strong and confident M act like this made me feel a bit... _useless_, if I were to be honest. I do not like this… watching this _hurts_, it feels like I'm getting _crushed_. Looking to Lenora, I can see she physically is just as uncomfortable as me. She is even shaking slightly, I wonder… is she doing what M did with that Shadow and Trish earlier?… _Empathizing?_

"I cannot let that happen, _I won't let that happen. __**Not again! **_I… am ashamed to ask this, but could you help me with this? I need _something, anything _to work with. I _cannot_ bring attention to myself however, if I do I run the risk of what I said prior… My hands are truly tied here and I _do not _have a solution like I usually do,_ I _have no way to fix this… _issue_. So, the conclusion I came to is that I need someones assistance. Do you know a_nybody_ or_ anything _really that could help not just me; But my family? Something is coming soon… I don't want to say what it is, but, I need just-"

He was cut off by Lenora very quickly sitting up. She then slowly proceeds to walk to M, upon reaching him she then quickly hugs him. His eyes were wide open and mouth hung open slightly. I was a tad bit baffled at first; But realizing what I needed to do now as well, I crept up to the two and got on M's vacant shoulder and put my head against his.

"I…"

"You do not need to say thank you… Just living to the best of your ability is enough, you've come to a rough patch though. Everyone has those, _hell_; You and this family of yours_ live_ in a rough patch, _metaphorically_ and maybe even _physically… _I too have had my fare share of those rough patches, I may be a strong one. My husband though, Hawes… he has seen me at my worst and experienced it with me. He didn't crack like I did though... he fixed me, polished me, and raised me to even greater heights, just like a _fossil_. Haha _heh_, he always said I was the strong one; But I'll be damned if I didn't take one from his book on occasion." Lenora shares a part of her as well, in order to get a grander understanding of each other.

"We _can_ help you and your family. We'll do all we can… I have a friend coming here from Castelia tomorrow; One I have known since we were kids, he is actually the Gym Leader in Castelia, Burgh. Once he comes on the morrow, all of us can have a talk about how to proceed with this, alright? Sound good to you M?" Lenora leaves off in a pleasing way.

Seeing and feeling M relax into her arms and return the hug put me to rest, I am glad these turn of events happened… It is a great thing to see a smile on M's face whenever possible. I can't believe he was so stressed about this though… Perhaps I should talk to Zorua about this?

"… I like that, I _really_ like that. Thank you Lenora; This… will help _tremendously_. Once Burgh comes tomorrow, I'll... give the run down on the _major problem_ as to why we cannot be a known; Just rumored group. When this occurs, it'll put a lot more into perspective for you two… Into just what kind of situation my family and I have found ourselves in." M passes on further knowledge that all is not what is seems.

Color me interested too, I suppose this is just one of the many mysteries of M. Soon, I'll be able to learn more of my partner… Until then however,

"Thank you too M, for believing in us. Now, enough of this emotional stuff, I ain't suited for it… Go out and enjoy the town and perhaps even Pinwheel Forest, just… relax today, OK? Let this stress just fall away for now, you can pick it up again tomorrow, let Hawes and I take care of this elder. We'll close the Museum and Gym today for this occurrence, oh boy; I am going to have to make some food for like twenty kids… Sheesh." Lenora trails off in mock despiar.

"I can help with that, it is the least I could do for what you are doing for us. Now do not worry your little head over it… I planned on going to Pinwheel today anyways, from there I can gather lots of edible berries for humans too. I'll help in anyway I can, even if just a little." M reassures Lenora.

"… Fine, you just be careful you hear? The last thing I need is more issues today, like a _lost_ child." Lenora states sarcastically, which gets an amused snort out of M.

Starting to walk out the door, I follow M in anticipation of what is to come. As he is about to reach the door, he turns around and gives a warm smile to Lenora, even if just for reassurance. After giving his farewells for a bit, he continues until we reach Zorua, the hag, and the kids. All of which are on opposite sides of each other. Can't really blame them now can I?

"…Alright, Z. Your allotted time for watching her is up. It will be Shuppet's turn for now, for the rest of the day we will be going through Pinwheel Forest and at around 3 PM we will return. Any objections or questions you two?"For confirmation, M asks.

"I will be fine here… You two do what you need to do. It is only fair after all, since Zorua had the first watch; And that it was prolonged. I can do it!… Place your trust in me." I state with an unknown vigor.

"Gotcha! Then… M, let us get back to that training we have been anticipating for awhile now!" Zorua exclaims excitedly.

"Now, now… That is a secondary thing while we search for things and the like in the forest; There is, however without a shadow of a doubt, will be Wild Pokemon encounters. This is where we can do the training. So prepare yourself Z, this will be a bit tough." M claims strongly.

"Of course! If I didn't expect this, I wouldn't be much of your brother now would I?" He says with a smirk on his face.

"Hah! Alright then! Let us be off… Shuppet if anything happens; Secure the elder lady and send one of the kids to go get Lenora, ok?… Farewell for now, Shuppet! I shall see you in a bit." He states hurriedly.

"You got it… Just say the word, be careful now." I state simply.

With a run to the exit, Zorua jumps to his should and as they exit M waves over his back... I must fulfill my duty placed onto me by my partner! This is no time for failing Shuppet, one hundred percent! Lets do it…

[ Zorua's POV ]

There is so many Pokemon here! I never knew so many could be in a specific area, our home cannot even compare to the exuberant amounts of Wild Pokemon… Speaking of Wild Pokemon in fact.

"Zorua! Once again, **Bounce**!" M calls out to me from a tree.

Hearing it I bounce instantly into the air, just narrowly avoiding a **Poison Sting, **as the Venipede looks angry that I dodged it, I begin my descent to hit him with a Super Effective Hit.

"Haah!" I yell out as I bash the Venipede who just noticed me with the Flying Type Move.

As I make a recovery leap to my original spot, the Centipede Pokemon was left in a miniature crater with swirling eyes, signaling his defeat and simultaneous knockout. At this I yipped in victory and looked at M for approval, who smiled and nodded at me before speaking.

"That is seven Venipede, good job. You did not even take a hit… Such is Wild Pokemon though; They're untrained, although _they're _stronger than _you_ at the moment. They cannot use their Values effectively… Now, onto searching for items. This way." M beckons to me, to follow; So I do.

"We have yet to get swarmed, however; Even if we do though, you still have that innovated **Bounce **we have been working on… How many times now can you use it in succession?" M asks inquisitively.

"I can use that kind of **Bounce** Technique on three different surfaces before the speed becomes too much for me to keep track of everything around myself, I would then have to stop before attempting it again." I answer honestly. "Though, I could probably do more now... Should I try it on the next Pokemon we encounter?"

"That would be overkill, Z. We can test it after we finish clearing this forest of lost items and the like." M answers honestly and firmly.

"Okie Dokie!" I say payfully, which gets a huff of hilarity from M.

"Now… Let us begin searching the area." He leaves off before jumping from the branch he was sitting on, taking notice of this I follow quickly.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

I breath out some air from all that searching in the grass and digging up anything that looked remotely valuable. Finally done, Zorua and I looked ragged… Leaves all over us, covering our hair left and right. Mud stains on every inch of our being. We looked like we just came out of an entire season of _Bear Grylls_, but it'll be worth it… _Hell_ you should know what _he_ says; "Improvise, adap-"

"M… Are we done yeeet..." Zorua trails on as he yells in fake annoyance.

'_Guess someone didn't_ overcome_…__Anyways, I wonder who that is behind us...'_

"Eyup, we have cleaned this forest out; I doubt there is much left here..." I give Zorua some piece of mind, as he falls over on his side comically and sighs heavily.

I was nearly about to chuckle at him, until I heard a bunch of giggles and snorts in between, from behind me. Turning around slowly and Zorua who is now peaking out of one eye and scowling slightly at the little white haired girl. She has two different colored beads tying a large portion of her already small hair above her head, sorta… like a _pineapple_… Snrk. OK serious, _ serious_… Her outfit is a mix of light blue and purple, she is also wearing boots that are just far too large for her dinky legs. Her eyes are nearly matching her outfit, only being a slightly more defined blue; She also has freckles developing on her face.

'_Funny coincidence seeing you here...though, maybe not as much of a coincidence at all; You do favor Poison Types after all.'_

"What's so funny? Was that routine too much for you?" I ask with a smirk on my face and a raised brow.

"Y-your Zorua… *Snort*, HAHAHA; You too… Hehe, l haven't seen someone looking like they were just rolled over by a pack of Whirlipedes before… hahaha~." She continuously laughs at our expense, while I just huff with a smile still present on my face; Zorua however…

"HaAAAh?! The heck are you talking about?! I was destroying those _insects_ left and right!" Z states while looking like he just used his newly learned move _"Fake Tears"_.

"It is exactly as Zorua said, those _insects_ can't hold a candle to him." I state with conviction seeing if I can goad her into fighting me.

"… _Insects_ huh, do you got a problem with Bug Types _messy head_?!" She squeals at me in indignation.

"Nope, but I do have a problem with p_ineapple heads_ who think they're hot stuff…" I say in a mocking tone, while accentuating the pineapple head portion.

"…" Zorua just stares at me with wide eyes before breaking out into laughter and rolling on the ground.

"'P-pineapple_ head_?!' Why you-!" She grabs at her head and tries to speak more before I cut her off.

"Yes. _pineapple head._ Your head resembles a_ bleached pineapple_ through and through, did your _pineapple head _cause you to trip and fall into some bleach head first?" I ask as though I already know the answer, I kinda feel bad for pushing it like this. However, I _really_ wanna battle someone to test myself and Zorua.

"Y-you… Grrr! Alrighty then you_...you poopie head_! Lets have a Pokemon battle, or are you too _Torchicken_ to fight me?!" She asks angrily while still holding her head, and tears slightly showing in her eyes as she attempts so stare _daggers_ at me, only for it to be _wet noodles_. I _really_ feel bad now…

"I accept of course! Why wouldn't I dare to fight someone with a _pineapple head_… it would make for some of the greatest of stories..." I answer her question while mocking her once more.

"Grah! OK then… Here goes! Whirlipede, Knock some sense into 'em!" The little agitated girl screeches as she primes as a Pokeball to throw.

* * *

[ Author's Note ] AH HA! I have mastered the use of the cliff hanger technique... fear me! Anyhow... We've got our first Pokemon battle coming up next chapter! The next chapter is going to come out in **5 Days **at the most. So, on that note; Have you figured out who the little girl is? I thought it would do me good to use prior characters from the Pokemon games as rivals to our friendly everyday problem solver. A few more chapters and then M's little rag tag group will adventure through Unova_ for the first time_. Be ready!

[ Landmark ] We broke through 1000 views! I am so proud of you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

**[ M's POV ]**

The White haired girl proceeds to then chuck the Pokeball at the ground in front of her, and in a flash of light a Whirlipede appears.

"So, you think we're just _insects_ huh… Fine then, I'll show ya just what this _insect _can do then!" The now "_taunted_" Whirlipede responds to both human and Pokemon.

She has a Whirlipede huh, oh boy. I… honestly did not expect that one. I knew she would_ eventually _get one… But damn, I didn't anticipate her already having one. I am still confident Zorua and I can beat it. However, it would be a fortune and a half if Z doesn't get hit by anything… In fact because he is a _Dark Type_ he better not get hit by anything bug related…

"Zorua, you can take this Pokemon, however, it may be just as quick if not faster than you. We need to play this safely; This Pokemon is the evolution of those Venipedes, it'll be far tougher than those… It's Values are much higher as a result, do _NOT _get hit by a Bug Type move… or it's all over. We'll finish this with _that…_ here, as a precaution too. Take this."

I hand Zorua a now formed Flying Gem for him to hold, making sure to keep it out of the eyes of the angry girl and Pokemon… That plan should work; Yes that'll do.

"Z, get ready..." I state preparing Zorua even more for this.

"Now! Whirlipede, lets start off with a **Rollout**! Use it in a circle!" The girl declares as her Whirlipede begins spinning very fast.

"Leap to the tree behind you!" I command steadily.

Hearing M's command and seeing where the Zorua will leap to, the white haired girl smirks as if she already won. Whirlipede also appears to have a smile grace its' eyes. The Curlipede Pokemon then fires off into a repetitive motion kicking up dirt and leaves; Witnessing these turn of events, the girl then yells out the winning command; Or so she thought.

"We got 'em right where we want 'em! Now use** Toxic Spikes **while holding the **Rollout**!" She screams into the air while giving a rock sign to the sky with a stretched out arm.

"Maneuver behind the tree for cover!" I yell out in fake worry. "Prepare an **Extrasensory**!"

As I state this Zorua's Eyes light up in preparatory for the coming moves. The Bug Type Pokemon shoots out numerable Toxic Spikes to the surrounding area, only some though, managing to penetrate the trees. The girl seeing the change in demeanor for the young boy, smiles in mock wickedness.

"Now that the Zorua is stuck inside the trees, use **Pursuit** to climb the tree he is on and close the distance between you two!"

The Whirlipede then shoots up the tree in unimaginable speed; At least for every other Pokemon besides my partner Zorua. As the Whirlipede approaches the Zorua, the prepared **Extrasensory** then forces the Bug Type to come to a complete stop a couple feet away from Zorua who has his eyes lit up in the shade of the tree; The Bug Type Pokemon then screeches in pain with distraught eyes.

"I'm sorry about this! Zorua! Use the **Bounce **we have been working on!" I shout directly after her move.

"You OK?! Dang it! Whirlipede,_ quickly_! Use **Protect **in precaution for the **Bounce'****s **drop!" The girl shouted in worry.

The Whirlipede just stuck there on the side of the tree floating around like a Drifloon prepared the **Protect** at its' trainer's command. Only for Zorua to shoot past it with** Bounce**-to a nearby tree instead, causing **Protect** to fail. Then leaping from that tree to another gaining more momentum ready for the actual **Bounce**, as if he is on a trampoline.

'_W-what_?!' The white haired girl and Whirlipede thought at the same time.

The white pineapple head sensing something wrong attempts to have Whirlipede use one more defensive move…

"Whirlipede! Use** Iron Defense**! Hurry!" She yells in panic.

"Now Zorua! Hit it with **Leer** as you approach with **Bounce**!" I yell for the finisher.

'_You made the wrong choice earlier, you should have used **Defense Curl** instead. Now, with the momentum built up from the **Bounces**; Zorua will not only deal a massive amount of damage from that, but also the Super Effective Hit due to your Pokemon is a Bug Type.' _I criticize delicately to myself.

Zorua who then **Bounced **to one last tree, finally was in position to use his final Technical Moves.

'_There is also the factor of my Affection with him being maximum, he has already dealt a Critical Hit with that **Extrasensory**. There is once more also the Flying Gem I gave him to hold. You have once again _also_ neglected my earlier move, I really only wanted to use **Extrasensory** to keep the Whirlipede from eating that Sitrus Berry it has on it, but it also dealt more damage than you thought… it is my win.' _I finalize my thoughts as Zorua begins to leap towards the Whirlipede.

Zorua who now **Bounced **towards The Curlipede Pokemon, used **Leer** to lower the defense from the earlier **Iron Defense**. Lowering the Stage Two Defense, to one. Whirlipede seeing him approach at what appeared to be the speed of sound, could only struggle in vain as the **Extrasensory** kept him still in the air. As soon as Zorua made contact with the Whirlipede, it's Ability: Poison Point became active due to the Whirlipedes panic, still hitting the Bug Type regardless, Zorua pushes through the pins of poison and with a loud sound of impact; Sending the Curlipede Pokemon soaring into the path of multiple trees with an echoing sound of flight and breaking them before finally coming to a stop and leaving a dust cloud with leaves floating everywhere.

"..." The lass seeing this could only stare in shock at the events that just unfolded before her; Guilt also building up, as she realized her mistake in judgment. "Whirlipede!"

Seeing her take off running in dismay to her Whirlipede. Made my guts churn a bit in remorse, but I know that I had to do that in order to win that battle, drawn out fights with Poison Types are always the worse way to go against them. There is also the matter of a Whirlipede's defense… So it will be fine, just _really_ damn sore on the spot of impact. Picking up Zorua, I begin Jogging to her and Whirlipede's position maneuvering around the many **Toxic Spikes** littering the ground. As I came into view of the two, every sense I have available was heightened. The world slowed as I notice her hands reaching out to touch the Bug Type Pokemon; Which still has Poison Point active- I scream off the top of my lungs in worry.

"ROXIE! DON'T!"

She looks at me alarmed just before a barb pierces her hand. Yelping and reeling back in pain she regains herself from the pain, only to just then realize the mistake she made.

"… Oh no, no no_ no_..." She begins to panic.

"Roxie! Calm down! You must return Whirlipede; Quickly! I'll carry you to the closest Pokemon Center." I attempt to calm her in her hysterics of gloom.

"R-right! Whirlipede return!" She attempts to stand up after returning her Pokemon, only to start swaying back and forth, before she falls down onto a patch of deep grass and begins to convulse- _A seizure?! __Is__ it an allergic reaction?!_

"Roxie! Damn it! Zorua- _Shit_!" Realizing that Zorua was also hit with the Ability. I quickly form an Antidote and spray it into his mouth then apply the rest to the infected area, his eyes begin to grow hazy.

"… Focus on her- I have… the Antidote in me now... 'member…?" He reminds me tiredly.

"Right..." I swiftly gather my wits and sprint to her convulsing body, my mind racing in thoughts of how to approach this situation. All the while placing my hood and black surgical esque mask on.

'_Which way is quicker?! Castelia or Nacrene?! The sky bridge may be large but it is only in a single direction; It is directly in front of me as well. Meanwhile I would have to back track through the forest and the like to reach the pathway to Nacrene..._'

'_Her body has been convulsing for roughly thirty seconds, if it continues for more than five; We are in trouble. Check the area of contact with the poison...Should I apply the Antidote as well- No I shouldn't I do not know if it will harm her or not; She is convulsing after all, she may have an even worse reaction to the Antidote if I do...'_

'_Slight swelling and… she has a wrist band on the arm, I need to remove it… _Removed._ Let it bleed, __don't stick any substance or material on the area__… and __hold the area of contact still.' _Concluding my thoughts I reorganize my myself to calm down.

Deciding where to go and what I should do, I gather up the radically shaking body of Roxie in my arms and keep her hand steady and on her side. While Zorua begins to be coming to. _Thank Ahm_.

"Zorua! I am going to need you to run OK?! Can you do that?!" I ask hurriedly.

"Y-yeah, I can now! Hurry though! W-we don't have time." He states shakily.

Taking the stabbed hand and placing it below her heart and continuing to keep the hand steady, Zorua and I begin to trek upon the light in front of me seeing the bridge.

'_Why did there have to be no Rangers in the area?!' _

I come upon the stairs and leap on the rails before agilely jumping to the next, and then on top of the Connector Box to the bridge. Adrenaline coursing through me with Zorua at my side and Roxie in my arms I leap onto the pathway leading up to the Skyarrow Bridge from the box. Sprinting up the steps and coming upon the bridge Zorua and I begin our desperate dart across the bridge.

'_I won't let you die! Not on my watch Roxie! You get better so I can apologize, yeah?!'_

Seeing people in front of me, we both leap to the railings as we pass them, they begin to yell at the sight of us. Not caring in the slightest I push myself to go even faster; As I reach the middle of the bridge, she soon stops seizing.

'_Three minutes and __thirty__ Seconds __roughly__… Good.'_

Continuing my pace with renewed grit, I continue sprinting and as I reach the end of the bridge and arrive to the steps, I jump from the top and reach the middle; Sliding the rest of the way down the railings. I reach the Connector Box of Castelia City and as I enter some people point and yell at me, ignoring them I continue my panic filled sprint to the Pokemon Center of the City.

Reaching the Center I burst through the doors with my left shoulder catching the attention of everyone in the building.

"Help! She has been Poisoned by a Whirlipede!" Seeing the staff of the building gather together and take off running to us, I stay focused and explain the details surrounding the Poisoning to the Closest Nurse Joy to me.

"She tried helping her Whirlipede, but got stung by it's barbs while its' Ability: Poison Point was activated… She then began convulsing and it lasted for roughly three minutes and thirty seconds, she may have had an allergic reaction. I have kept the area as still as I could have possibly, I also kept the area of contact under her heart. Her name is Roxie."

She began a preliminary inspection of the soon to be patient, soon after she began to talk to me and turn to face me.

"Thank you sir! You may have just- Huh?" She trails off when seeing no one there, but a slowly descending piece of paper.

Realizing she is loosing time the Nurse Joy recomposes herself and focuses on the task at hand, her Blissey also paying very apt attention to the victim of the Poisoning.

* * *

[ Lenora's POV]

It has been nearly an hour after he said he would be back… My inner mother hen side is starting to freak out. If two hours pass I will send Watchog out to look for them. As if answering my calls the doors open to reveal an extreme tired looking and messy duo of both Zorua and M. Upon seeing their state I give M a questioning look, he just shrugs and walks up to me before handing me a pouch of berries he was holding for whatever I create. Shooting him an even more questioning look, he states plainly.

"Don't ask, I am sure Burgh will bring it up tomorrow though…"

"Zooor..." The zorua yips lowly with droopy eyes.

"...OK, go get washed up, dinner will be in about 2 hours." I reply with uncertainty.

As soon as he heard that he walks towards where our bathroom is and Zorua walks towards the Shuppet of differing color, and begins to speak with it. Hearing what happened, he let out a shrill cry of worry and looked towards M's direction. After a little bit of calming down from Zorua, he began to pace back and forth. Coming to a stop he looks towards Zorua and speaks. Unable to make it out, I decided to walk away.

'_Just what in the hell happened…? They looked like they got on the receiving end of a **Mud Shot** and **Razor Leaf. **Kids these days, Jesus...'_

I really am worried though, he didn't have that soft smile like he usually does, it was a scowl. A deep one at that. Perhaps around the time dinner comes I can get down to the bottom of it. Walking towards the back of the Museum, I reach where the Gym is, continuing my walk, I admire all the books I have collected over the years. Some simple ones all the way to the most advanced and detailed of Archaeological finds. Once I reach the back, I open the door before me to my Office, walking to the chair behind my desk I plant my behind on it and get comfortable.

'_There is so much to this kid, I wonder just how much is hidden under that veil of his… No matter how much I want to protect smiles like that; I cannot be everywhere at once, I have a duty to this Museum and Gym… I cannot just abandon that. So… how about '_that'_ then? _'It' _tried its' hardest to protect those little ones when it passed; '_It'_ even succeeded according to my readings on their fossilization…__ When I first came to __that __s__ite, I was baffled. When I came upon that _elongated_ and _overly large_ behemoth__ of a Pokemon frozen in time, with a bunch of little ones' surrounding it, like they were worshiping it.. That was what I originally thought at least.'_

That sure was a strange sight to behold. To think Pokemon even dating back hundreds of millions of years ago could still rival even the greatest of empaths today… It made sure to shield all of them from the danger that caused those Pokemon to go extinct; By sacrificing itself, because of it's actions…

'… _All of them. __Ev__ery. Single. One. __On that coast__line__, l__ived for another couple hundred years even after the incident with that meteor that caused nearly all ancient Pokemon to become extinct. All of them that we revived was distraught that its' 'Mother' was missing, we showed them the fossil and they all instantly became happy again, and sent them on their merry way. To think such a Pokemon existed, to be __so __revered; _Heralded_ as a '_Mother' _by an entire __Coastline_ _of them… _

"Fascinating as always… Perhaps… M could use a mother… yeah! That could work! I may not be the best suited for it, then maybe 'she'_ can be_! He said he was raised by Pokemon, so surely this will be the best bet for helping him!"

Coming to a decision finally on what to do with _'her'_, I begin to walk towards a locked door in my bedroom; It has a number pad on it. Typing in the code, it opens to reveal a large room filled with many different Archaeological finds… And a giant fossil encased inside of an equally enormous fossil restoration machine. '_She' _took an entirely custom built restoration chamber, just for herself. She is the one thing that could rival even my favorite remains; Yes! That one deceased Dragon Type right slap in the middle of the Museum for all to see… sits its' '_rival_', right before me…

'_Now, you with all your wisdom; __One who has lived through an unimaginable amount of li__fe and bested time i__t__self__, living even _after_ so many of your children have passed...__ can surely help that poor child right? __Live once again and b__e a second voice for him, __lend him an ear. '_Cradle'_ him like no one else has before; Especially when things get tough… Do what I cannot, _please._ I pass this hope to you. __The __name__ we dubbed __your legacy __when Hawes and I found you…__ Please live up to it!_

* * *

[ Roxie's POV ]

Did I die…? Will I make Papa sad? Whirlipede…? I'm sorry for being so boneheaded; I was just… too worried about you. Why did I make such a rookie mistake…? I was taught better than that! It was such a stupid head mistake! Why?!

"Why..."

"Oh!" A pink blur quickly says in surprise. "You're finally awake Miss Roxie!"

"Oh_, joy_… Now I'm crazy…" Stated by myself while still being delirious.

"Hmhmhm~. I assure you Miss Roxie you are anything but! You were brought in by a _short man _actually. He most definitely saved your life as a result; He said your Whirlipede stung you by accident, you must be careful from now on! OK? Also… the short man left a note for you, I didn't wish to pry so I left it at your bedside. Now have a good rest, we will be coming in to conduct a few tests on you to make sure you are cleared of any left over toxins." With that the now identifiable Nurse Joy finished speaking and left the room after picking up a clipboard, the unintentional pun of her name was definitely recognized.

I watched her walk out the door, I then glance to the side to find the note. Thinking for a bit, I begin to remember that I never got his name. Yet somehow he knew mine… He may have been someone who came to watch her strum a guitar on the street. But then…

"… That wouldn't explain why he called me _pineapple head_…" I pout to myself with Patrat cheeks thinking about the _boy my age._ "I'll show you_ pineapple head_… _trash head_… Yeah! That's a good one!" Smirking to myself I refocus my stare back onto the note. "Hmph! Probably something as _trashy_ as he is..."

Closing my eyes in an attempt to ignore the note, I slowly degrade into thinking about the circumstances to how I even got here. A frown slowly marring my face. Which develops into my eyes and brows twitching like crazy.

'It probably was a note on how much of a pineapple head I was… _Right_?'

Opening one eye and glancing back at the note, I give it the stink eye and a bloated sneer in an attempt to make it go away. Seeing that it wasn't I got angry and grabbed the note fast, opening it I begin to read what was on the paper with a comical frown of concentration.

_**Dear Roxie,**_

_** I apologize for my conduct towards you and so much more. It was merely a ploy to get you to battle me; A ploy that nearly cost you your life. I cannot express how much sorrow, grief, and regret I am holding within me on a simple piece of paper because of my negligence. If you would allow me, I wish to teach you some interesting things regarding your favorite Pokemon Type and even more so, instruments; Especially CTRIC Guitars, yes, the ones mostly used for rock and heavy metal, **_**your favorite**_**. Also, you are an amazing trainer for your age! I was surprised that you could set up a situation like that. This is how I wish to make it up to you, if you find yourself unable to forgive me though. I truly understand and you will not see me again if this is so. However, if you could give this selfish one a chance- I would wish to make your dreams come true! I will be coming to Castelia within the coming week. Thank you for your patience in reading this.**_

_** Sincerely, The Stupid Head; M.**_

Upon reaching the note my face of frustration developed into a neutral one, which in turn caved into happiness as I read more. I smile softly at the nickname. Also opening my eyes slightly at the single letter; M. After a bit of deliberation I decide… that it isn't just your fault if what you say is true, I made a stupid mistake as well. I saw Whirlipede's ability activate and sting your Zorua; Yet, I still panicked. A surefire way for a trainer to get himself/herself and others injured and even worse _killed._

'_Stupid Head huh…? I guess it's better than_ Trash Head_.'_ I giggle softly. '_Alright! I accept your apology! Now, you better prepare yourself M! I'm gonna have you teach me everything there is to know. You also better keep your promise as well, I have a pretty awesome dream after all!' _I start in amusement of the situation. '_You better also allow me to apologize as well...I made you have to deal with something stressful… you better be ready Stupid Head!'_

Breaking me out of my inner thoughts and forcing me to jump not so very lightly, the door blasts open as Papa comes in with comically large tears in his eyes. Seeing me up, he flies towards me and tackles me back onto the bed.

"Ooooh sweet daughter of miiine! I am so glad you're OK!" He cries with a large snot bubble appearing on his nostril.

"Eww! Get _off of me_ you _dolt_! I am fine! _See_?! I… I was saved. There is no cause for this craze, I am sorry though… I made you scared probably. Also, I put someone into a tough position because of my _Stupid Head_." I reply attempting to calm him down with tears appearing in my own eyes.

"… I know, it- it's fine now; If that _small man _really did save you… Then we should invite him over for dinner! YES! That is good! A week long fest celebrating your recovery!" He states with a happy face, calming down from his earlier hysteria.

"… Really? Well… M said wrote down that he was coming next week sometime to Castelia. We can do it then!" I state hopefully. "Oh! How about in order to get his attention I hold one of my side street mini concerts! Maybe his attention will be caught by that..." I trail off thinking about how to get him to come to me.

"Good idea! Papa can help too!" He states quickly.

"Are you sure…? I know how busy you can be. Don't go troubling others OK?… Wait… You are suppose to be operating the boat dad... You need to go! Stop stalling!" I get a bit agitated and my brow starts twitching.

"Gah! That is right, crap! OK hon, Papa will see you later! Goodbye now!" He screams as he bolts out the door. "See you tonight Roxie!"

"*_Siiigh_* What'a _dork_..." I infer as I smile with closed eyes. "Anyways! I gotta start thinking about the Lyrics! That way he'll know it's me!"

* * *

[ M's POV ]

I finally got some rest after yesterday's fiasco… Today though, I'm gonna have to spill though on what happened. _Sigh. _Welp! It could be worse I guess, good thing everything turned out alright, I just wish I could've gone about that battle in another fashion, damn myself… Enough about that though, after dinner Lenora pulled me to the side and talked to me about how she has something for me. I wonder what it is, deductions though are coming to me and are telling me that it is a fossil, what one though? Carracosta or Archeops? Or maybe she'll just give me a choice? We shall see I guess.

Anyhow, Burgh should be coming sometimes today, I honestly can't wait to see the "_Premiere __Insect__ Artist_" in the flesh, during this time he has just taken off in fame, such is the life of an artist in Castelia; A lot of people go there for the arts, it's a huge city of entertainment and an amalgamation of different cultures and foods. The there is also-

"Hey M?" Zorua catches my attention breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah? Whats up Z?" I ask with no hurry.

"… Do you think this Burgh character will know anything about Roxie?" Z asks hesitantly. "Do you think we got her help in time..."

"… Although she had what _appeared_ to be an allergic reaction, the seizure itself stopped before five minutes; That means there is a _very low chance_ of something bad happening to her, an example would be brain damage. Meanwhile the Toxin itself does show signs very early on, although if treated within thirty minutes to an hour the patient should be fine… I used Lenora's work computer; I asked of course, the anatomy of a human is largely different from a Pokemon's, _obviously_. You cannot just apply an Antidote and just call it good, for humans you need to get all of the venom out of the system first by eliminating the current venom with antivenom. Then a human would need rest, depending on the severity; He/she could be in there for a few days to a few weeks. Now for the reason _I didn't_ apply an Antidote. _She was having a seizure,_ which I concluded _was_ an allergic reaction. If I applied an Antidote which _IS _full of antivenom, it would've most definitely killed her. For a Pokemon this is different, even if they remained poisoned they could shrug it off for a moment, then take an Antidote and be ready in the next few seconds. _Truly fascinating_, especially in your case. The toxin worked much faster on her than you, considering your smaller size as well. You just ran it off, I was surprised."

Zorua just sat there and stared at me with a blank expression for a good few seconds without saying anything._ Is he alright? _I kneel down and shake my hand in front of him, he finally responds.

"… Prior life knowledge?" He states with closed eyes, a soft sigh, and a smile.

"Indeed. Though I was a bit too cautious if I had to be honest, as a Game Warden I had to know these things,_ just in case. _So I referenced a few bits and pieces in order to act." I explain without any haste, thinking of how to extend the conversation while still being roughly on the same subject, a stray thought runs through my head. "Hmmm, you know, despite my expertise and knowledge on the Shinobi Arts of Ninjutsu, I was never truly good at the actual _fighting portion _of it. I _loved _to misdirect, avoid, and all together become _hidden. _I am _extremely good at it_, especially when I was taught how to preform espionage, infiltration, intelligence gathering, and military tactics for warfare of the guerrilla kind, _that_ is where I transcended so many others... Do you wish to know how all this came together? How I learned to man a _rifle _and_ darts _instead of the _fist _and_ legs_?_" _I ask to see if he is interested.

"...Wait, you mean; Even though you can punch through solid wood._ Inches thick_ might I add, that you are not actually proficient in CQC against a live opponent and instead focused on using a '_Rifle that shoots Darts__'_? _Seriously_?" Zorua asks incredulously.

"Yes, although I _can _hold my own if the need arises… I never was truly talented enough to bring it to another level. Also, the wood targets literally just stand still; So long as you know where to hit them, they break pretty easily. Later I found my love for immobilizing rampaging animals- And humans on occasion, through the use of Scoped Rifling and Tranquilizing Darts and their calming effects." I reply seriously, and look at Zorua closely. "_Tranq _Darts, are Hypodermic needles that are filled with a sedative, comatosing, or paralytic doses of medication. These are what are known as_ Tranquilizers_, a safe and fairly harmless way to end any sort of fight."

Seeing the confusion in his face I elaborate with a single sentence; One that made him short circuit.

"Let me put it into perspective for you, a single Dart with heroin, fentanyl, and carfentanil can stop a rampaging Copperajah, within two to four minutes depending on its' weight and size."

.

. .

. . .

...I do believe I just applied the _"Paralysis"_ Status Effect to Z, because he is just stuck there with his maw hung open and eyes nearly popping out of his head. I tap him and it only succeeds in moving him; He just stood there in a dazed state for a few more seconds before yelling into my ear.

"HUUUUUH?!"

"Yes, they're that potent… Please do not scream into my ear again by the way..." I say with scrunched eyes while rubbing my ears. "So… are you interested now in learning where this originated from?"

Stilling for a second, he nods his head with intensity at the next. Getting worried I stop his head from moving any further. Thinking for a minute, I start.

"Let me explain, when I first became aware of myself harboring a… _burden_, I severed myself from everyone I knew besides a _single person_ and my _cat._ I was lost, and without direction; It was then that I found _Bujinkan _an international martial arts based in Japan… Without any other thing planned for the future, I went through the arduous process of becoming a Japanese citizen… _Christ,_ it was_ even worse_ than trying to get an ID here. Fast forward two years, I finally got my citizenship and began attending." I finish in exaggerated exasperation.

Seeing this Z broke out into a fit of giggles at my expense, I smile as I watch him. Hearing the rest though will not be so easy on the mind…

"To summarize events, I with my lack of knowledge on my_ burden_ did not expect what it actually did. This led to the death of Masaaki Hatsumi's successor, seeking out a new one; He found me, after a rough couple of years of learning from every school under Bujinkan, I developed all the necessary skills of a Shinobi; One who practices Ninjutsu. Or just a Ninja as everyone calls it. I… didn't have the_ talent __of fighting _though, throughout my arduous training I began to realize… that I couldn't even lift a candle in comparison to the other chosen to be the next _Togakure-Ryu_ or the next head of the school, eventually falling behind drastically, even with all the training I did day in and day out until I was sweating a lake where ever I went." I laugh sorrowfully to myself.

Zorua upon first hearing this stops laughing and begins to look saddened by those turn of events. Hearing even more, he walks up to me and puts his head under my hand in order to make me feel comfortable. I smile slightly again despite the recesses of my mind becoming haggard with bad memories.

"After a week, a stray thought ran through my brain, '_What if I caused __his death as well_...' With that thought in mind I booked a flight back to the US and lived it out there studying to be a Game Warden and living for another few years in self imposed isolation. During this period of time, I was just stricken with grief and remorse at the realization of my '_Curse_' as I called it. I was once again lost, confused, and alone... During the time in isolated years, I picked up a lot of things. Things I noticed I had a talent for; _The things that just came easy to me_, and honed them to _perfection_. _Scoped Rifling_ is one of them, at the time I was also very interested in Veterinarian Medicine; It was at a moment in time while I was putting a rifle back together after cleaning it and glancing at the dart board that I had next to table I was sitting at." Upon remembering the great sequence of events, a huge smile forms onto my face.

Z who now sees my smile looks much brighter and begins to nuzzle me kindly as he sees the enormous smile on my face as this time I recall happy memories filled with love, I then begin reiterating how it happened.

"Right then and there inspiration struck me like an Applin to the head. I then began to draft up a design for a Tranq Rifle that fit me, soon coming to satisfying design I then had it sent to a trustworthy source. Upon seeing my creation finished I tested it immediately and was satisfied with what I had, I would later down the line add some things to it here and there, but ultimately nothing base changed. I had someone teach me how to craft the Darts as well, those were a _pain; _I _really suck_ at all that _sciency _mumbo jumbo… And so, I had that same someone assist me in their creation; She loved being a Veterinarian so much, seeing me work hard on this subject made her very interested in helping. With her assistance I eventually created the first dose of my Tranquilizer Dart. _This time_, I was glad I didn't have any talent in something, it allowed-" Getting cut off, I glance towards the sound of greeting from Lenora.

"Burgh! I'm so glad you're back! Now, I would continue with some small talk but," Lenora drops a happy face and stares at Burgh in seriousness. "We've got some serious issues we need to discuss in private with another."

Burgh seeing this is put off for a second as he stares at Lenora only until he calms himself. Walking towards Lenora, he gives a nod and an equally serious face.

"Alright… What is so serious that requires my friend; A Gym Leader no less to be so serious?" Burgh adopts an equally worried and inquisitive face as he says this. "Hmmm, from my point of view... it seems as if something big is coming; I do wonder what that is though. In private of course. Lets."

Hearing his confirmation, I stand at the ready as Zorua sits up as well. At our current posture, from Shuppet's perspective; He comes as well. Currently, it is Hawes watching the old lady in wait, until one of the Pokemon comes out of that meeting. I begin to walk over to the pair of Gym Leaders, at my approach Burgh sees me and pauses for a time before realization comes over his eyes.

"...Mm-hmmm, so… Something involving _you_, huh… Interesting~." The Bug Type Specialist states curiously.

"… Indeed, it is me. Let us take this into Lenora's office though. _No prying eyes_..." I state seriously.

As I state this, Lenora quirks her eyebrow at our exchange. Soon coming to terms with that unknown she starts walking towards her study. Burgh and I follow in tandem with Lenora; As we do this though, Burgh is staring at me with what seems like respect. _Did Roxie not tell the whole story…? Now I really feel bad… I'll make it up to you one way or another Roxie._

Reaching Lenora's study we each take a seat after closing the door and locking it. We sat in silence for a few minutes, as I was about to start the conversation to get it rolling; Burgh lets loose on only what happened partially.

"Welp! It seems as though I am already familiar with the _young boy _here… Ah ha! Yes! Indeed it was this very_ young man_ that saved an equally young girl. She was stung by her Whirlipede when it fainted. She must have forgotten that Poison Point remains active even after fainting in her hysterics of worry. Though she is actually recovering! About two more days until full recovery, then she will be released." Burgh states with reverence towards M.

Lenora just sat their stunned at the information she heard from her life long friend. This leads her to turn her head to M for confirmation with a raised brow. Leveling her probing gaze with my own blank stare, I prepare for the upcoming headache of explaining the circumstances.

"I go by M, Mr. Burgh. Also yesterday… I was out collecting berries and whatever else I could find, that did indeed happen Lenora. Although, Pokemon, as I am sure you already know; Grow by garnering '_Battle Experience_' thinking of this in mind I had the idea of training my partner Zorua by fighting Wild Pokemon I encountered on my little outing in the forest… By my calculations of Zorua's current strength. It has just about doubled. Fighting for Pokemon is integral to their growth, more than anything else. Pokemon also have an inherent love for growing; Thus an extended portion, to fighting as well..." I look to Burgh to explain further of how I know this about Pokemon. "… I can understand Pokemon and hear their inner thoughts, Burgh. _This_ is how I know Pokemon_ love_… _relish_ in battling one another; Every. Single. One. A Pokemon that does not fight, cannot grow. _That is abuse at its' finest_. So, in my little trekking through the Pinwheel Forest with Zorua, I had him fight as many Venipedes as possible, as soon as we were done, we continued in our search for food and items."

Burgh, hearing this looked like I was insane, expeditiously turned his attention to Lenora for confirmation. Getting a firm nod from her, he leaned further back into his chair to relax. After a few seconds of silence, he motioned me to continue.

"... After we finished, _Roxie_, the white haired girl challenged me to a battle after my constant goading." I adopt a face of remorse. "In the end I won, but it caused Roxie to loose her focus... Thus her getting stung by her Whirlipede. I-I acted as fast as I could- To me, I didn't save her; It was just another form of apology and repaying her for what I had caused, I was no hero there..."

Silence encompassed the room, as I begin to lower my head further- I hear uproarious laughter from the two. Throwing my head up I scowled at the two as my eyes darted back and forth between them. As I was about to speak, Burgh interrupts me.

"You know... It is normal to banter negatively before a Pokemon battle, it is a sign of rivalry. Rivalry lets both you and the said rival grow even stronger. So, yes... _You're a hero_. And_ yes_, even more so it shows up within you at this very moment; That heroic spirit. Something like this is not your responsibility, yet you do not even recognize that though. You pushed yourself forward with those thoughts... I find myself... In reverence at this!- Oh my...! Mmm-hmmmmm Mh-mm! Yes, I just had inspiration for a piece! *Gasp* It'll have to wait though! Now... let me clarify..." The spastic artist speaks in hysterics.

As he trails off his words impacted me greatly. I calm my inner self from that negativity high as they permeate through my being, and focus on the coming question; The one I am most used to answering regardless of situation.

"...So you can understand Pokemon, but not only that, even hear their inner thoughts..." He states in surprise, before quickly blowing our minds. "Mh-hm, Ok! I trust you two!"

At his smiling and trustworthy face, I jolt in my seat in bewilderment. Lenora is not faring much better either, she just looks astonished by this. _I thought he would be more skeptical… _Oh, well less annoying for me I guess. At my toned down expression, Lenora begins to re compose herself as well.

"I mean, this is coming from Lenora as well… Sooo, it must be true if this lady is vouching for you, I mean _The_ _Lenora_;_ 'The Archaeologist With Backbone'_! With that simple thing at play, I do not need to see it to believe it, that and she has been my friend since childhood, it is part of an artists' job after all! Imagination!… Although, if you do not mind. Can I see this in action with my own Pokemon?" The artist asks hopefully with starts in his eyes.

"Ah, OK… Just... bring out whichever one." I affirm with a nod of my head.

"Alright! Theeen… how about you! Leavanny!" Burgh sets forth as his partner comes out of its' Pokeball that was now held outstretched in his hand.

"You called?" The now summoned Leavanny asks with a tilt of the head to his trainer, only to twist around to face the inquiring voice with a smile.

"Burgh needed a favor Leavanny, he wants you talk to me… So, I gotta ask; Is it true that you create clothes from leaves and gift to little Pokemon? If so, I think that's super nice!" I start the conversation with an interesting question.

"Why of course! Our species's final evolution is known for its' kindness actually, we are dubbed the '_Nurturing Pokemon'_ after all. Though that part is technically correct, we usually only do it for our own variety." The _"Nurturing Pokemon"_ informs me with a bright smile on its' face. "In cases such as a stray small Pokemon being alone, we usually will craft clothing, blankets, and drapes for it."

"So, you usually do it for your own kin, but in cases of it being alone; That is when you act... It _is_ really kind of you… I suppose that makes the nurturing title rather spot on huh?" I beam at the surprised expression appearing on Leavanny. "I suppose this is where you are thinking, _'How can he understand me?'_ Well, turns out that I can actually understand Pokemon and hear their inner voices. Burgh hear wanted to see it for himself, so here we are!"

"Oh _dearest me_, hmmm, yes this is quite an unfathomable instance. You said you can also hear our _'inner voices'_? Can you elaborate for me please?" It asks with a still present surprised expression, though it is mixed with interest now.

"Sure! _Basically_, I can hear your inner thoughts through any actions you do. May they be smiling, frowning, or crying. There is also the more usual one… _Battling_; This is where most of myself and my brother can begin to '_hear' _Pokemon's inner voices, whenever some form of emotion is present- Or multiple emotions, it slowly becomes more and more clear. Like the smile present on your face earlier, that was excitement to be called on for something by Burgh… Fascinating, right?" I exclaim with my arms held out.

Hearing what I said Leavanny made a faint shrill cry of surprise, though quickly composing himself soon after. He stilled for a second, before frowning slightly in thought, and began to scrunch up his eyes as well. As he calmed more and more, he looked up with a sad and hopeful countenance. I undo my smile and frown in concern as I begin to _hear._

"Burgh; Please tell him… He needs a break, he has been working too hard lately. I am sure you have noticed, being as observing as you've been… He is _not _OK at the moment. Burgh has not been taking as many breaks as he should be, as he used to. He has been getting a tad under the weather as well, far more often then I and his other Pokemon would like to see..." The Nurturing Pokemon begins wistfully. "_Please. _Inform him of our worries, I feel as if I have not been doing as much as I could have lately. You being here must be a sign- A sign for him to improve his physical condition and work environment..."

I stare at the Pokemon with a blank expression, but it slowly develops into a tender smile. _Seeing a Pokemon worry like this, like really worry; Always fills me with splendor, it gives me the driving force that I need to push forward and to continue with my endeavors._ Of course, I'll tell him!

"… You've got it Leavanny! Message received!" My smile grows into an even more gentle one.

"Thank you..." Leavanny looks at me thankfully with her own smile.

I signal that I am done to that extremely happy Burgh and grinning Lenora. Seeing my eyes though, he understands that we'll have a talk about what is wrong; And sooner than later. As I was about to sit down once more for the rest of the talk pertaining to my ventures, I am stopped by Lenora.

"Hey kiddo, before we continue I would with this… I would like to show you something. I think you'll _love_ it as well!" Lenora states with conviction and a smirk. "Come! Both of you. Follow me to my workshop!"

* * *

[ Author's Note ] Hello again my pretties~! How was my first fighting scene?! Not too bad I hope! Anyways, the next chapter will be coming in roughly **5 Days**. Since there is time, I wish to know; What am I lacking... I wish for this to shine brightly. I have been thinking this over for some time now, and I think I know why. But we shall see I suppose. We can only go up from here after all! _Anywho_, perhaps I should explain my character. This is indeed an OC, the SI part though, is me inserting my experiences that I have garnered, may they be both good and bad. My way of thinking is especially prevalent in this character, I hope you enjoy as we unravel the Mystery of M; Together! So what did ya'll think of Overhaul and Izuku's fight?! I loved it! Great adaptation, even if they skimmed over alot of things and changed it, they still made it their own. That is what made it succede... So, yes; I do read the manga. You guys will love Jiro's development in the upcoming arc... _**She is best**_ **_WAIFU NO ARGUE_**.

[ Growth? ] - Steady increase of the visits and viewers, I am liking it... Keep it up pals. Though I am worried about the reviews... I have just been taking that as a sign that I haven't really _begun_ _anything_ yet. _That_ or I am just doing well enough that no one is complaining and is just enjoying? Maybe? I hope.

[ Next Pokemon? ] - My my, I gave a **_PRETTY_** great clue on what she is, _a single word in fact_ that should give it away. That Pokemon is also one of my favorites, has been since Emerald Version. My _second_ Pokemon game after Leaf Green. I want to do something different with her as well... Kek, I plan on making her stats equivalent to a pseudo legendary. _I hope you enjoy that as much as I will. Hehehe~!_

[ College? ] - My courses begin in two days, something came up with one of my courses as well... So now I only have two of them... _Joy, truly. _I do not want another course anyhow, I'll focus on this for you guys! I've got plenty of extra time thanks to my first semester... _**Of doing SIX COURSES. **_So yeah that was a big mistake, anyhow, I won't fall behind; So don't worry bout me~. The updates as a result will probs be the same now. Lel.


	8. Chapter 8

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ -'s POV ]

It has been about roughly three days now of traveling, I would've made it sooner though; Had I been able to cross my normal path. Coming across so many human towns and cities that were built upon from my previous trail for traveling, surprised me- _Annoyingly so_. Be it small or large or somewhere in between, humans have _really_ thrived in the last fifty years… _Good for them. Sigh... _I've literally had to go _all the way around. _Although_ I may __have been__ irked_ at having to go the long way to Turnback Cave, it has been… _Nostalgic… _Visiting Eterna Forest, brought with it a lot of memories of years past.

I visited a little girl I had the pleasure of meeting quite awhile ago, and her butler at the Old Chateau They are quite the demonic duo I have to say, they sported talk of this one very oblivious green haired lass and her Chansey; Terrifying her and the Pokemon. The only way they could accomplish this is with the help of all of those Ghastly and Haunters, it really is quite the sight to see I have to admit. All those Ghost Type Pokemon and human ghosts working in tandem to scare the living nightmares out of some passing folk looking for a place to stay and or adventure.

Also, there was this new addition to their little group… An extremely small orange shaped Pokemon, it is known as _Rotom_. It has the ability to posses household appliances and take their form for itself. Quite a handy ability, knowing humans; They will take advantage of this someday… Rotom, is… How should I say this? _A spaz_? He is somewhere, then there. And then just goes somewhere else just as quickly. Quite the intriguing little Pokemon;_ Miffing for the most part though_.

After the quick visit and reintroduction I then had to traverse my way _over_ Mt. Coronet… It appears things will always be _**getting in my way**_. From that _loathsome_ Mt. Coronet, I thusly traveled to one of the only city of the humans I will continue to respect on passing, for the most part due to Arceus; _Those three abhorrent lizards can be stuck in an eternal nightmare for all I care, especially you… Rebel._ Which also happens to also be one of their oldest in this region, _Celestic City. _One of the more… _Interesting aspects_ of this City is that the humans actually still continue to preserve and research the history of this sacred place…

It was there that I took a chance to pay my respects to the_ "Original One" _inside of the ruins in the midst of the_ center of the city_… _Big _mistake. I happened by chance to encounter a child nearly seven years old, she had waist length blond hair, a lavaliere necklace; The pendant is a tear drop shaped stone of sorts. She currently is wearing a lot of black, and posses a face that some humans would call _"adorable"_. Her… Ugh, _lizard… _Probably how she found me, _Gible _are very sensitive to vibrations underground after all… For now though… _Damn it, No!_

"Wha-what… a _Darkrai_? Why-" The blond begins startled as she walks slowly to me.

"_**Stay… Away!**_**"** I yell in worry.

Phasing into the surrounding darkness to obscure their vision, I quickly fade out of existence with an **Ominous Wind** I cast. The two seeing this get slightly frightened before composing themselves, fairly fast may I add. The Gible begins to take a firm stance in front of the blond, while the young girl prepares to call out a command at the first sight of me; The wind slowly dissipates to… display nothing.

"Huh…?" The young lass stands on guard and checks her surroundings for any sight of me.

"_**Do **_**not****_ look for me… Stay away…" _**I state quietly as my voice fades further and further into a faint echo from a distance away from her.

"…" The girl and Gible are both at a loss for what happened; From this day forward, they will continue to wonder how they survived an encounter with what is known as the _"Pitch-Black Pokemon", _the one who is said in legend to give people nightmarish slumbers to those it encounters.

Flying through the shadows of the city to remain hidden, I reach the end and continue on my way to Turnback Cave, that encounter will continue to remain with me as a close call. Due to my overwhelming presence and both dangerous power, I secluded myself for that _very_ reason… For my failure to realize what I had been doing… It is for this reason that I will continue to suffer within silence. So long as I can keep everyone safe, it does not matter how much pain I remain in…

'_Darkrai… You mustn't always remain in solitude, find solace elsewhere as well; Doing so will erode your consciousness… It will be very painful, and so… Find-' _

I shake my head to clear it of melancholic memories of the past. _Focus! A single goal; Once I complete it, then I can go back. _With restored moxie I fire forward passing many human paths. After roughly three hours of travel, I come across another city. Loud noises are coming from it, like something is being built, crossing past it at an obscene height I take a look at where the loud noise is originating from. A building of course, but it is huge… It may appear to posses a giant dome shape as well. Continuing on, I can now see the very mountain that has the cave inside of it. Seeing this I push forward harder than ever.

Passing numerous trees I come upon the entrance, from there I continue and reach a cliff. I raise myself slowly, until I can see the large indent inside of the mountain with the cliffs covering all sides of it with dainty little flowers. Floating down into the indent filled with water and the only known entrance to Turnback Cave, I continue slowly while over the top of the water; Only to be stopped before I could come within the span of the entrance, by the _three littl__e pests. _

"**Stop" **All three of them command simultaneously with differing levels of authority.

Growling under my breath softly so as to not alert them of my inner displeasure. I stare at them in silence without moving an inch, only when I have ceased to harbor any agitation did I nod my head in acknowledgment and cross my arms. Seeing them let up on the energy they were emitting did I calm down fully; The before hand **Future Sights** still peeved me a bit though; _Hmph, do they not realize...?_

"Why have you come…?"

"What do you wish to achieve with your leave?"

"You're not trying to cause any harm are you?"

They all ask different questions which only succeeds in making me angry once again. Breathing out a small drawn out grunt, this time so they can hear the warning in my voice. All three of the floating annoyances stand at attention when they hear it and ready for battle. Sighing at this within my head, I finally speak.

"… I was called to preform a '_**J**_**_udgment'_**." I quote the Alpha Pokemon.

"…?" Every one of them except the, "Knowledge Pokemon" twist their head in confusion.

"… I see." The only supremely intelligent one replies with slight surprise in it's voice.

"What?… What do you mean** Uxie**?" The other two guardians of the lake ask at the same time, but with different tones; One lax and one on guard.

"It would appear he is working with our '_father'_ on something..." The Being of Knowledge expresses softly. "Perhaps halting him from coming here even after you sent for Cresselia was unnecessary…** Mesprit**."

"… Was it now? You should know how much of a_ carefree sister_ Cresselia is with _him_." The Being of Emotion concludes to Uxie with a bit of disdain in her voice.

"Now, now; There is no need for this bantering… I would have to agree with Uxie on this one though, we should not have impeded him, if Cresselia has already checked in with him." The Being of Willpower interjects.

"Come now **Azelf**… Surely you remember the damages he caused roughly fifty years ago..." Mesprit alludes to an event trying to jog their memory already knowing that they understand.

The three lake guardians then feel a shift in the air around them, turning quickly to look at the Pokemon before them. You could not tell if he was outraged from his outward appearance; However, the very aura of the surroundings began to converge towards the "Pitch-Black Pokemon". Giving them, or more so Mesprit a warning. He slowly raises his head with his only eye barely visible through his spiky red growth and white plume of a head. His iris within the green hue is shining dangerously, slit together as close as possible.

.

. .

. . .

"**I would caution you to watch your next few words _very_ carefully…" **I state with malicious conviction to the floating pink Lake Guardian. **"It will do_ double_ to cease this line of talk immediately… and allow me to continue on with my task." **

Hearing the tone in his voice, all three become cautious and prime some Technical Moves to be ready for use. Feeling this I chuckle darkly, slow and methodically as if to tease them for being too cautious. Having had my fun, I lazily hover around them; Having once reached the entrance of Turnback cave… I hear a slight voice behind me from Mesprit laced with anger.

"… _Murderous bastard_."

Pretending not to hear what the Being of Emotion declared and ignoring the heavy guilt imbue within me. I continue on my way to meet that dumb Lizard with my conscious continuing to become heavier and heavier with insidious images plaguing it every yard I drift in search of the ruler of the Distortion World. Continuing my venture through the first room I come across a mound in the middle of a room with dense fog at every inch of sight. Housed on the mound is inscription grafted onto it.

_**...Past three pillars… offer up… to the… before 30 is surpassed… **_

_'Hmph… A puzzle then huh?… Alright, _challenge accepted_.'_

Looking at the possible entrances I focus on where the entrance to the world of antimatter is; Not feeling anything, choose the path directly to my left. Upon entering, the seemingly dense clouds continue as I look around the room. Seeing no pillar I choose the path in front of me, once entered I find myself a pillar.

'_That's one…'_

After glancing around for a second I decide to head left once again… And find the second pillar.

_'… OK…'_ I think to myself dumbfounded by my luck.

From that point on I continue with my random choices until I reach the seventh room from the second pillar. Clearly not expecting any more pillars in the fashion of my choices, I stop and ponder… Only for a thought to pop in my head. Turning around to the entrance I came from, I stare at it with a look of questioning; Before long I take the path going into the previous room I was at. A flash of light hits me and I am now inside of the third pillar room. All of the seemingly endless fog has disappeared, and now before me is the entrance to the Distortion World and…

"**Darkrai…" **

States the shadowy figure with creepy red eyes leaking an equally shadowy goop as it appears from within the Distortion World, making itself semi visible. It's form shifts and changes somewhat as it slowly emerges from the portal. As it finishes integrating with the true world; The rebel soon is able to be viewed in full as the gloomy dark visage is thrown all around the room with a gust of wind from its' wings being completely shifted. The now altered form of the_ "Renegade Pokemon" _is clear for all to see.

"**Giratina..." **I state with a nod of my head, acknowledging the Ruler of The Distortion World with a_ very_ thin line of respect.

"We have much distance to cover, come; Let us begin our venture in the Distortion World to Unova. I shall drop you off where the tear in my realm appeared, as it is the greatest and only link available to you. Are you ready?" The imposing figure asks kindly as it stares into my only available eye with a calmness I did not anticipate out of it.

"… You are more comfortable without Arceus in your presence… Am I right on that deduction?" I ask with no underlying motive, just slight surprise.

"Yes. That includes _all_ deities and the other two of the creation trio; _They all_ grate on my nerves_ very _easily; Annoyances the lot of 'em, I swear. So… I ask again, are you ready?" The Renegade Pokemon states once more with no anger or hastiness.

"… Yes, let us be off. A long road ahead for sure…" I reply in agreement.

"Hear, hear… Come now, sit atop my back as we tread the world of antimatter together. I do not believe you have been here before; So you may be surprised at first, but you may eventually grow use to it… Just as I did…" The giant dragon-esque figure comments in amusement before growing reminiscent.

With a nod of my head, I quickly fly over to Giratina's back and sit atop his back in wait. With a mighty roar, the portal grows larger as he once again shifts states into his Origin Form in preparation for the voyage, and with that change came the new spectacle of the Distorntion World, quite baffled by how much changed, I continue to watch as our surroundings are turned into a purple mass of faintly glowing darkness. Floating still for a second, Giratina then hones in on a single direction before rearing back and taking off at an extremely fast pace. _Here we come Unova…_

* * *

[ Burgh's POV ]

I never would've thought something like_ that_ was in my best friend's workshop, just sitting there for Arceus knows how long. Though I did admit, it made me want to paint the fascinating spectacle that _was_ before me. After I heard Lenora's proposal to M, I was even more so taken aback; A kid not even seven yet, was getting gifted with this behemoth of a Pokemon… It made me even more curious as to who this little chap is. Mm-hmm, I think once I see these two together I will ask them to be models for my next , that will work!

At first, when I heard what the little guy and his brother have went through, completely boggled me; I had some worries of course. _Who wouldn't?!_ But after his assurances I eventually calmed down from my panic. M later goes onto tell me about his little heroic deed,_ reckless_ may I say, but_ heroic_ nonetheless. Since there was no one in the Police Force willing to deal with this currently as they have their hands full from other projects of theirs, I shall be escorting the elder abuser and the evidence to Castelia when I head back. The catch is though, that I _mustn't_ mention M; _At all_. They were trying to stay under the radar for a reason… a reason M would explain shortly. Even if that meant not getting any form of ID, which would make his and his brother's life infinitely more difficult, because their situation was far more integral to Unova's future than an identification.

I was surprised at first, who wouldn't want renown for this?! And who wouldn't want to get an ID?! What was this kid even thinking?! Later though he began explaining his true troubles; Troubles with Team Plasma… _Shocked_, I truly was! The two homeless and orphaned children were in the process of being drafted as Kings for that group of trouble makers known as Team Plasma. Not only that, but after he discussed with us what their plans where… Or more realistically, what _Ghetsis's _plan was. I was a little bit angered,_ I will not lie_! Once again calming us from our downed expressions. He exclaimed that he has a plan to deal with this from the shadows and to not only _not _be manipulated by this cheery fellow called _Ghetsis_, but to _manipulate him_ instead!

To say the least as M explained his very well thought out and detailed plan, Lenora and I were confounded, he explained every likely depiction of the future, _like he knew it would happen… _Once M got to the part where Ghetsis will have the both of them become the partners of the black and white duo of both truth and ideals, I was even more affronted; _Frightened_ even! He also elaborated on how Ghetsis will control the both of them, even with the combined power of Zekrom and Reshiram… That the probable outcome will be that the twisted man will get control of Kyurem and at the worst possible scenario; Kill one of us discreetly and forcibly take control of either Zekrom or Reshiram and combine them with Kyurem to form a being that nearly surpasses even Arceus_ himself_ in power. _What in the world!?_

M further went on to explain how Team Plasma would control Kyurem; Ghetsis would get into cahoots with a scientist that wants to draw out the true strength of Pokemon, so with his goal in mind and Ghetsis's combined. The twisted man will dangle this situation in front of the scientist's face, practically forcing him to join due to his passionate desire to seek out to improve Pokemon. He refused to say the name of the scientist; Stating that he was not in any form, evil. Just _really_ driven, even if a bit weird and to let M himself take care of that scientist. Now, just after Lenora excused herself to process this information we were left alone for a bit. This is where things began to get… rather difficult for me.

"So, you must have heard something from Leavanny… I hope it is not_ too_ embarrassing for me…" I state with a wry smile trying to ease the air around us.

"… Leavanny asked me to to inform you that all of your Pokemon have been rather worried for you lately…" The kid, M, affirms solidly along with supporting nods from his Pokemon.

Having been taken aback by this sudden turn of events, I send him an inquiring look. At he he stares down in contemplation, before long though, he glances back up at me.

"… Your career as an artist has only just begun; Burgh, if you continue with your work ethic, you _will _collapse from exhaustion one day; Hell, perhaps even die. Leaving behind not a _legend_, but a _tragedy_… Your Pokemon… Your friends and family as well. He asked me, to convey this to you. That you must take correct care for yourself, they are worried, exceedingly so about you, Burgh." The child before me declares with a worried expression as the two Pokemon at his side nod with more vigor and slightly let out a cry of support once again.

'… _Have I really been doing this to them…? Oh my, but, I can't fail now. If I fall behind the other artists will overtake me like no ones' business. I mustn't allow that! … And yet, what he says is true…' _I think regretfully to myself.

"I-I hear where you are coming from, _truly_; Not only from you of course, but my Pokemon as well… I… Have been getting very sick lately._ Very often _as well; Is… that a sign that my body is failing me? I do believe I have lost a lot of weight as well… _Oh my goodness_… But, M, I can't just-" As I shake my head trying to figure out what to do, a quick feeling of warmth crashes into me and two more directly afterward.

"It is OK! Burgh, the future itself is not something one must wait for; But to take! You have already done that, _remarkably_ so! You are not only a very talented artist that has garnered mass attention with your majestic brush strokes…" The kid before me begins, with sorrow in his voice. "But also your talent as a _Trainer_! You have been recognized by our Region's Champion, _Alder_ for Arceus' sake! You are the _leader_ of a Gym, not some figure head that was just put there for people to eventually surpass; No! You_ earned _that spot much like your title of the, 'Premiere Insect Artist' you just have to… manage that time in between properly; Which is regretfully what you have been _failing at._"

I stare in shock at this child, he is so- There is so much _insight _in his words, it is simply unbelievable. As an artist this is exactly what I wish to do…_** to inspire**_! Yet, I failed at the thing that should have been the simplest; Just taking care of myself… I was, no, I still am blinded by my drive. My _ambition _has thrown a metaphorical bucket of a solid color on my just finished canvas full of a multitude of colors.

I have to fix this! Mm-Hmm, yes that is what I shall do! My admirers are not going anywhere, what was I so worried about?! Art is eternal because the artist him or herself also lives forever from within their works… If I were to…. _To die_, then all my hard work would not be known from blood, sweat, and tears; It would be known as a _travesty_! _I do not want that_! Nor do I want my Pokemon, friends, nor family to remain worried! I want a_ legacy_, one where I can fasten it with my own two hands! Not fates! In regards to the Gym as well, I neglected that; I thought of myself as a wall, but no, I must be a majestic gate! One who silently judges for worthy people and Pokemon! I have earned what I've got… Now… I must simply take things in stride…

"… I cannot believe, I was so stupid. Mm-Hmm, yes, a very apt description of myself indeed… Thank you M, you have opened my eyes; Truly!" I exclaim with a sad smile and rouge tears forming in my eyes. "From this point forward, I, Burgh! Will strive to _live_! To create a legacy and not a travesty! … But _most importantly_, to not _worry_ anyone anymore…"

M, the Zorua, and Shuppet breaks from the hug and they look at me with a smile and warm eyes, M then starts to look at me for a few seconds before speaking.

"It was not me, though I had noticed you were not doing too hot when I first laid my eyes on you. No, it was all your Pokemon! I merely translated their worries for you… Think nothing of it, just one kind person to another!" The mature chap states faithfully as his Pokemon back him up with yips and cheers.

"Hahaha! Mm-hmm, yes! It is no wonder Team Plasma has their eyes on you for the Position of King! You are one of the most gentle souls I've had the pleasure to meet… Really! Now, we should discuss the other thing, yes?" I ask with curiosity marring my being.

"Right! With both of your help, I would like to secure a meeting with Professor Juniper so I can tell her as well about my families situation, and why it has to be _discreet_. As you now know as well; I cannot just be _out there_ doing… _whatever." _M begins with slight rue developing in his face and voice. "It. Must. Remain. Unobtrusive. So that Team Plasma will fall right into my hands, so that my family can _protect Unova_! Not just because it is _o__ur home, _but simply because _it is the right thing to do,_ even if it will be hard and dangerous! We _do not_ want anyone to suffer because of Ghetsis… So, I must prepare. To do that, I _have_ to talk with the two professors of Nuvema Town, Juniper and Cedric, to see if they can set me up with what I need to truly set forth my plan. This way… I can be _even more prepared_ for what is to come. Can I have your support with this Burgh? Please?" M asks me in a pleading tone while the Pokemon at his side also send me pleading looks; These two Pokemon's cuteness is going to infect me!

"Of course sport! Why, yes you have my support! You have already done so much for me… It would just simply not do if I did not return the favor… Mm-hm, but this is not just about returning the favor; Just know that OK? We, as your _friends _and _technically_ fellow Trainers will help each other through thick and thin! I've got your back M! You can count on me!" I state with a passion any respectable artist would have.

Hearing this, the child M forms an enlarged smile with teeth showing, while his Pokemon do the same. Seeing this I also grin, before this moment could continue though; We hear the door open slightly and find Lenora coming in and sees the looks on our faces; Smiling at this she begins to find her seat and sit down as well. M, his Pokemon and I look at each other and smile, then to Lenora, this is where we began to discuss with Lenora about what I had previously with Burgh.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

Things went_ really _smoothly with Lenora! We've got two Gym Leaders' support… Lenora, Burgh, and I eventually decided that if this was to remain discreet that it would be best if I delivered hand written letters from them with their own seals of approval and Identification. This way I can remain hidden while also getting what I need, to prepare further for the coming crisis…

From here, Burgh left earlier in order to get back to Castelia to begin writing the letter and preparing for it to be sent off with me and also delivering the pitiable hag to get processed in jail; The Insectoid Enthusiast promised he would return in two days time. As he has some other business to accomplish while in the city that would eat up his time,_ but_ he reminded me that he would do so in moderation. So, while Burgh does this… I will take out Shuppet and Zorua to train together inside of the Pinwheel forest some more!

"Do promise me that you won't get yourself into anymore precarious situations, OK? Just focus on training your Pokemon! You got that?!" Lenora basically yells firmly in worry

I give a firm nod as my two Partners follow suit and copy.

"… _Good_, so… Have you decided how you want to proceed with my offer of the fossil being restored for you?" Lenora inquires harmlessly.

"Yes! I have… _I accept_, but first. Due to that Pokemon not being very mobile and_ surprisingly humongous_ for its' species, I would most definitely have to carry it in a Pokeball; Since I cannot _legally_ do so at the moment, this is one of the things I asked of Burgh that I wanted to of you as well. To allow my brother and I _special__ carrying __privileges _of held Pokemon in Pokeballs. This is one of the things that should be written down in support of for Professor Juniper and Professor Cedric to read up. Burgh agrees with this proposition by the way." I state completely of my intention regarding that major issue.

"… Hmm, _carrying privileges_… For a Professor that shouldn't be too hard to do… OK, I can do that along with the other things you asked of hon." Lenora smiles at me in agreement of my proposed favor. "But!"

I drop my smile at the '_but',_ as it turns into a questioning look with no rebutting emotion popping up, just pure curiosity.

"I would like you to help around, it will not do well for you to just be loitering around here after all! That… and ya need to pay somehow for my Gym and Museum getting closed for these past days~!" She exclaims with a dangerous smile and glowing red eyes.

I gulp as I nod in affirmation, while my two comrades nod vigorously in agreement.

"Good! It shouldn't take up too much time either, so you do not need to worry 'bout that issue. It just some menial tasks, like the floor and what not." The archaeologist elaborates into what I would do for her as she returns back to normal. "By the way… Is it alright if I tell my husband Hawes about some of this stuff, be has begun getting a bit worried and restless at all the secrecy..."

"Of course! But only tell the people you have absolute faith in OK? I really need this to be as '_under the rug'_ as possible..." I express with both support and concern.

"Thanks! Though I really only plan on telling my husband…" Lenora states seriously towards M.

With a nod I take off walking towards the exit of the museum with Zorua and seemingly struggling Shuppet.

"Hold it for a bit longer, OK?" I ask of Shuppet quietly, getting a nod in response.

Picking up our pace due to Shuppets' seemingly wanting to burst at any second. We pass many houses with a jog and once we reach the inside of the forest a faint flare of Psychic Energy from the Technical Move **Trick **goes off. After refocusing onto Shuppet after that outburst comes a now more than doubled his size Shuppet standing nearly five feet tall. Walking over to Shuppet who let out a loud breath of relief, sees my approach and smiles with his enormous tongue hanging out. Finally reaching him I scratch the underside of his chin which he leans into. It is really crazy to think that Shuppet could do what he did, to those Shadow's of Chaos… Kinda scary too…

"You being a Shiny and all would turn most if not all heads once you were seen,_ now though_\- You'd be a show stopper…_ Seriously, _who would've thought…" Continuing on for a bit I start to get a curious feeling. "… What does it_ feel like_? I am most interested in knowing…"

"… Hmm, it is like… getting _really _bloated and then for a few minutes you get some of the most intense feelings of satisfaction. Afterwords it feels like going through a, what do you call it? _Growing pain_? Yeah, like an evolution, _sorta_. It hurts for a second; But otherwise it feels pretty good before and especially after." Shuppet responds answering as much as he could pertaining to the situation.

"… Hmm, I wonder what it will feel like to evolve… I can't wait! Sheshesheee." Zorua laughs off in semi impatience.

Advancing in an orderly fashion, I keep my senses sharpened while Zorua and Shuppet stand guard prepared for anything that may come our way. We begin our training session this time with a few battles with some Audino; Those little things are terrifying, if I didn't have Shuppet who was immune to most of her attacks, we would be in _deep_. Let me say, just like in the games of BW and BW 2 , _THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. _I enter one deep brush there is one just sitting there, another one just dancing, and some more just giggling at the others' antics and eating. So… it made me feel bad when we farmed them like crazy… So in order to do something nice for them I gave them all some berries when they fainted to either Zorua or Shuppet. I mean! Look at them and tell me you _won't_ feel bad for such _cute _things!~

The strategy for cultivating our Battle Experience with Audino was an astounding success as well! The _"Hearing Pokemon"_ would huddle together to fend us off, only to find out that Shuppet would literally tank anything and everything they throw at him for our attacker Zorua. Shuppet is and was easily the MVP of this venture, there is no doubt in my mind. Since Audino only have 1 move that can effect a Shuppet on any level since they're Normal Types; They cannot really do anything to him, since he, A Ghost Type, is immune to Normal Type Technical Moves. However, on the off chance they used the one Fairy Type move available to them, I would heal Shuppet when he got too low. The Audino seeing this were a bit astonished, but being the little cute fluff balls they're, the bunch of Normal Type Pokemon just… went along with it. Like _sheesh_, I know you're kind and all, but I'll be damned if they didn't succeed in making my partners and I feel like Garbodor afterwards… Just imagine trying to hit one and it applies **Baby-Doll Eyes**, yeah… _Like __Trubbish_… At least no one got **Charmed**, the Audino were too low level for that TM.

So, in spite of everything and the humongous amount of healing the Audino did for each other, the ensuing and _as gently as possible_ onslaught, Shuppet and Zorua grew to an all new high. _Now if I could just see their levels! Pokedex, I need you! _It is now time to head back with the sun beginning to go down. The rest of the way back was nothing too miraculous, just the occasional inflated ego of a Venipede; Which was thusly popped once it saw Shuppet with a Zorua on his head. _Yeaaah_, I think those two are officially becoming the devious duo of Pinwheel. Having finished our Battle Experience training for the day, we begin a conversation as we tread our way back to Nacrene City.

"Really good job today all! Shuppet your blocking of whatever moves managed to nearly hit Zorua were simply fantastic. You too Zorua, good management of your stamina and moves; Seriously, you both were killer out there!" I inform them both proudly, with a gigantic smile on my face.

"I was just so cool out there! I was all like _Kadoosshh_ and _Paaaah_! Wish I could tank hits like Shuppet though…" Zorua begins excitedly, but quickly falls off to wistfulness.

"Zorua, you know without you I wouldn't have even been able to protect properly if it weren't for you? I was acting as a shield mostly because their attacks were largely ineffective against me… That also goes for me as well, however, thought most of that fight I really only had one move to attack with." Shuppet roams off, recalling what I said about the type match ups. "Since as M informed us, Ghost Type TM's do not affect Normal Types… I was merely playing my part as M instructed me to do… it felt nice though; Protecting my friends that is!"

I lightly laugh at the unintentional masochism joke, between giggles I look at Zorua and size him up… Not too long now, I think. Judging from his strength, he is close to evolving… Not sure how close though… Could be a few more training sessions for Battle Experience, is what my instinct is telling me.

"Zorua, once you evolve; You will be taking a much more integral role… Especially once I've come up with some combos for our team. Your illusions will be making a humongous impact on our teams' dynamic. You will be able to conjure up entire scenes of fallacy, which would enable our group to move much more efficiently and freely than now. Just be patient; Soon, you will become a Zoroark, I can feel it." I elaborate for him to remember his role he will be playing in the future.

"Oh… Right! _Gah_! How_ stupid _of me, I guess I am just getting a bit impatient! Ughh, get out of my head! _Out, out, out! La, la, laaa_." Z attempts to sever the impatience with his own unique style of mental distraction.

"Hehehe…" Shuppet just laughs slightly at the now crazed Zorua.

Look at this scene, I can't help but feel the smile on face grow even larger. Coming upon the exit to Pinwheel, I alert Shuppet to prepare his** Trick **for the coming exit out of the forest. By the time the exit out of Pinwheel Forest was reached Shuppet reverted to his fake size and continued on like nothing happened. With the City growing dim, we take our last few steps towards Lenora's Museum.

* * *

[ Author's Note ] This'll just be short, next chapter in **5 Days **maximum, I went to Apple Bees tonight... SIGH. Uni is starting up once more for me. Wish me luck!

\- My, my, my; I wonder what the Shadow's of Chaos have to do with Shupppet~.


	9. Chapter 9

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ M's POV ]

I would assume most of you have felt guilt? _Yes_, of course you have… That _tightening_ in your stomach when you think or know you did something bad, and regret it as a result. It affects you _physically, _but _doubly mentally_, which is why I have come back once again to the Pinwheel Forest to seek forgiveness for doing what I did to the Audino, I know for a fact they will not hold a grudge, but I'll be damned if they didn't make you feel one for yourself. So, in acknowledgment of my inner disgust with myself, my partners and I will be going to the Audinos with an apology on hand; As well as something else I knew they would like…

Finally finding the group of Audino, all of us just awkwardly stared at each other, until I finally squat down next to one and apologized… The one I sat down in front of began to feel my arm with its' ear feelers. Once it sensed my remorse, it hugged me with a cry of support; Soon all of them joined in on the hug and we basically created a giant fluff ball of happiness. Then the subsequent acceptance from all of them happened… _Ahm__, they're so cuuute! _

So, with an elated expression on my face… I reach for an oddly shaped black cloth sack fashioned with streams of vibrantly colored yellow silk tied to my waist. Beginning to open it, I pull out a carved wooden instrument with very well defined and smooth engravings, which has the vague appearance of a sheathed dagger or a curved tooth, it also possess twelve circular holes with a mouth piece on it and a _"Soothing Bell"_ at the end of its' dagger-esque point. Grasping the apparatus; Drawing a breath, I gently put the mouth piece to my lips and let loose my melody upon the world.

* * *

As a slight wind is blown from our familiar human's mouth into the expertly handcrafted instrument, many elegant and reverberating levels of harmonic low and high level pitch notes begin to spring through the neighboring area in perfect unity, followed by a stray bell chiming every once in awhile; Head after head of all Pokemon in said area turn to the graceful tenors' direction. May they be from the ever stubborn Scolipede to the lovingly Leavanny…

One after another; More and more Pokemon subsided their range of activities and look to the aspect of their ease. Even one, dubbed as the _"__World's most slothful Pokemon__"_ opened eyes wide and turned to the bearing of the Anthem. A single Pokemon, even _more_ surprising than the last opened its' eyes softly from it's rest and graced the hymn with a smile.

Hearing more and more verses from the objective of their pleased ears and calmed hearts. Every Pokemon within distance of the degrees of pitch, began walking towards the aria's origin. Coming closer and closer the oratorio, it becomes just that much more alluring than it last was. Every step or flap taken in the direction of the sound makes all of them much more entranced… Finally coming to the provenance of the soothing tune and chime; All sit in attendance of the solo before them, finding the perfect resting spot and getting lost in the notes while doing so.

Every eye and all attention has been lain onto the human before the excessive amount of resting Pokemon with the extraordinary ability to send all present into a muse; Enraptured beyond belief, every Mon present began to sway with the pitch as it crescendos into a soothing finally. Coming to a close with a long winded high note, the human lays down the decorated ocarina, and takes a large breath… before smiling to his now cheering and highly enchanted audience.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

"Oh my_ Arceus_!"

"What. Was. _That_!?"

"Be _my_ trainer!"

"… _Beautiful_…"

"So_ COOL_!"

Hearing all the praise made me adopt a wry expression; Clearly I was not expecting this kind of reception, let alone any besides the Audino. Taking stock of the surrounding Pokemon, I notice all of them are from different parts of the forest, the thing that surprised me the most out of the bunch was the Slaking just laying there with its' back to me like it didn't care. I died inside a little trying to keep myself from laughing…_ I succeeded_. Glancing towards Shuppet who had a look of pure dumb founded shock, and Zorua who had an ever present cocky smirk on his face while looking at me with proud eyes, I placed both of my hands on each of their heads once I put away the ocarina.

"… You truly are an interesting person, M" Shuppet stated like it was factual in his still present wide-eyed state.

"No, no! … People and Pokemon just need time to find their talents. I both discovered and developed my own at varying parts of _my life_." I begin, expressing myself slightly. "Some people may even never truly find a talent; Even if they live throughout their whole life. You just gotta… Look first, experience second, and cultivate third."

While Shuppet is looking at me in confusion, Zorua is doing the opposite- Understanding. Shuppet continues his confusion, until I place my hand on his head and begin an explanation.

"Talent may not define you as a person; _Nay_, it merely puts together a canvas and frame for the individual to paint on. If you like something, you'll eventually surround yourself with it! Whether it be friends or family with the same interest, to material things of the same fashion." I trance Shuppet with my words as he puts his focus on me. "… However, there are some people and Pokemon that never get to find such a talent. They would eventually come to think of themselves as worthless… It could lead to… _disastrous results _if one views him/herself as useless. I strive to achieve betterment of myself, others may not know how to do that; So! I want to help those people and Pokemon through thick and thin, this is one of my desires, something I put in place for myself to achieve."

"… What is talent, M? Could you explain that for me?" Shuppet asks curiously with no hint of challenge.

"Hmmm… talent is just something that comes naturally for others; A good example of this would be how you find it easier to use Attack Moves, while Zorua finds it is much more simpler to use Special Attack Moves. Talent is not everything of course, you will have to temper the acquired skill if you are to do anything with it of course!" I state with sincerity before continuing. "Life is a turbulent mess that many people and Pokemon find themselves panicking and scurrying through, this can lead to many issues regarding the individual… A talent is something that more so than less, brings balance into that person or Pokemons' life. Once you are able to find a talent and elevate it, living just… seemingly becomes just that much easier. The thing though, is to not get consumed by that talent, that leads to just an entirely different issue."

Z was now staring at me in surprise before breaking out into gleam, while Shuppet was appearing to be thoughtful. His shifting expressions led me to believe he was thinking very hard about something,_ I wonder what it is_? The Puppet Pokemon then looks up to me with an inquisitive gaze before asking one final question.

"You said earlier, _'… that more so than less…'_ What did you mean by that?" He asks kindly with a tone of curiosity.

"… It is often sadly, that people and Pokemon will get shunned because of their talent or just for their likes; Some of these individuals however, just come to their own conclusions on their respective ability or tastes. The same individuals come to hate these inborn traits as a result, or just push through the mud that is tossed at them." I start up once more when I notice I have Z's attention as well. "Hell- I've even seen a girl who loved music so much, but she wanted to do something else. Thinking this, she thought she disappointed her parents who were also musicians… Well she turned out to be wrong with that, her parents didn't mind what she did. Those thoughts though, over took her and caused her so much internal pain, even after her parents expressed that to their child… Something that she loves so much is causing her to hurt that much more on the inside, its a tragedy really…"

"Accepting a part of yourself is integral- The part that makes you… _you_; That much is true. However, finding the people and Pokemon that accept you regardless and even work with you on what you enjoy is even more to the truth than the last. No matter who you are, may it be the_ artist_ or the _archaeologist_. People and Pokemon suffer because of such loneliness and a lack of care from others. _It's appalling._ To even think that so many individuals go without a good pat on the back and encouragement from others… It makes me very sad."

A certain clarity has come over both Zorua and Shuppet's face, listening to my lengthy explanation made them both understand that there is many people and Pokemon that need saving. Indeed, with this- Perhaps I have given them a new perspective to view, let it be seen. Grow from seeing this and help all you can, _because_ you _can_.

"Agh!" Yells one of the many Pokemon from the audience. "I wish I knew this humans name!"

At that all the present Pocket Monsters turned their attention to the human in anticipation for his identity; Knowing they cannot be understood, a hope still bubbled within them. Even the "Lazy Pokemon" moved his head to the side to listen better. When a few murmurs and whispers reined over for a few seconds, I prepare and speak my name for the whole forest to hear.

"M! My name is M!"

All Mons in the vicinity went completely silent, the Slaking even rolled over to look at the human completely bamboozled with his mouth falling to the ground. A few more seconds of silence, then all the gates of excitement were opened once again; Flooding the area in delightful yells and screams. Once their elation settled down, they all went quiet once more… Awaiting for the human M, to speak again.

"… I am guessing you're all wondering how I can understand you? Well, my brother and I were born with the innate ability to understand and hear a Pokemons' inner thoughts! So! If you have any questions for me, shoot! I'll choose out of the crowd, I am ready!" I vigorously state to the now pleasantly surprised crowd.

"Me, Me, _Meee_!"

"Over here…!"

"Can I be _your_ Pokemon?!"

"… I have one…"

"Can I be _cool_ like you?!"

'_So many!' _I exclaimed shakily at the excitement.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

Much time had passed between my declaration and answering the questions I had been asked. When I had thought I was done with the spree of queries, one more was brought up; Though I never truly would have guessed that the question would be what is was…

"I was training on a nearby mountain when I had the privilege of viewing you and your Pokemon thoroughly besting those Venipede while training, my question to you is… Will you do me the honors of _battling me_ in single combat without your Pokemon, M?" A slim blue Pokemon with a gi asks of me patiently as he preforms a bow and keeps it there. "I have witnessed the strength of your Pokemon, but not your own; Normally, I would not bother anyone after that, but you… There is something different in your eyes… I want to see it for myself…"

Pokemon from the outer circle around us began chattering at differentiating levels, most of the Pokemon were worried. The Fighting Types, like Timburr and Gurdurr when they heard this went ballistic and started chanting for us to fight, all of the wiser and stronger ones' just gave M a one over; Suprised from what they viewed silently nodded their heads in agreement. One of the far stronger ones hidden in the back atop a tree however, just viewed M with interest, and kept its' eyes at just that- For now.

I was a bit astounded by the support I got from the stronger of the groups after they heard what _Sawk _had stated. Though if I had to be honest, I was beginning to grin like crazy at the moment, _I haven't had a sparring partner in forever_; The Fighting Types who saw this burst out even louder and chanted harder, now smacking anything for a drum roll, the Pokemon around those dorks got frightened slightly and waltzed away from them. Making my way over to the blue Pokemon, I cup my right hand into a fast and place it on the palm of my left before giving an equally steep bow.

"I accept challenger… Let us exchange pointers…" I start before the both of us return to a neutral stance while looking into each others' eyes. "I shall give the rules, firstly, no attacking to _seriously harm_ or _maim_, this is just a spar for us to hone ourselves; No need for a blood bath… Secondly, let us just keep it simple- _Just within this circle_, no need to drag the surrounding Pokemon into our battle. Thirdly… Let us have a good battle fellow practitioner! … Hariyama, clap your hands to signal our start."

While Sawk and I strode away from each other before assuming our respective forms after we face each other once more, the Pokemon all around us began to settle down and watch in anticipation for what is to come. A few Hariyama lined up around the circle and began to ready their palms, the same Pokemon from the tree was watching with concentrated interest. Closing my eyes, my face hardens exceptionally; Releasing the tension from within my muscles and mind to prepare for the coming fight, I grace the stance I am ever so familiar with. Settling down completely from my high, I slowly open my eyes… To reveal the glossed over and dead look of pure concentration that so many before had witnessed. Sawk seeing this, also went into his respective stance ready to interpret anything I throw at him, _may you do your best_…

The Hariyama seeing our readiness began to nod toward one another, after a second of deliberation, the Hariyama stomped on the ground and readied their hands. All the Mons that created the circle around the two began to watch intently. With an extremely loud slap from all of the "Arm Thrust Pokemon", the fight began with each one on the opposing side taking off to meet one another at the center of the Pokemon made ring. _Sawk,_ for the most part utilize chopping; Their quest to create the ultimate chop has led to this same Pokemon preparing just that for me. Seeing this I smile very lightly, breaking my sprint to him at just the appropriate time, I expertly maneuvered under his right overhand chop; Simultaneously, in preparation for this Pokemons' action, I prepared a short left hook to his lower right torso; Just under the rib cage to target a vital spot in his now open guard…

_*PWAHP!* _

… Landing that precursory blow on the now slightly wincing "Karate Pokemon", I took the pacing of the fight just as a lead dancer does for his partner and prepared myself for the coming battle; Brace yourself Sawk… _Do not fall too quickly on me!_

* * *

[ -'s POV ]

… He is good… _Very good_, Those well practiced and fluid movements gave me hope that I just may have found the one… Continuing my scrutinizing gaze, I also take notice of just where this human, M, lands his blows.

'_He is not applying a sportsmanship __Martial Art__… No… Those attacks can be _lethal_ if there was no control in them… This Martial Prowess was honed… For a _real _life and death battle. One on the battlefield, one for a quick ending to be precise…' _I study the boy to myself, no one hearing my self-commentary but my own being.

The challenger was on the decline after the first exchange, which happened just moments ago; He was still putting up a hefty fight though. Even this M person, was putting 100% into his technical and formational skills, but…

'_That initial blow could have ended the fight if he __had intentionally __put enough power into it… __Perhaps forcing the Sawk to cave into the blow and passing out… Hell, at worse, that Sawk may have had to even get brought into a Pokemon Center…' _ I ponder to myself about the outcome.

The "Karate Pokemon" seeing the humans' approach prepared a low sweeping kick, observing his movements; The human made a decision to lunge above the kick with crouched legs to his torso. The challenger noticing this, had once more prepared another chop; This time without power, but more far more dexterity. Allowing the sideways chop to reach an incredibly fast level. Having this chop come at him full speed, M thrust his legs out to have one on each side of the outstretched arm; Acceleration from the leap had the protege force his legs around the Sawk's arm and eventually his legs surrounded even the poor challengers' head. Wrapping the unfortunate Pokemon in a vice grip, M pulled his opponents weight with him and with the adeptness of a _Throh_; Agilely forcing his opponent to be placed underneath him with a throw.

'_Such masterfully placed technique… He knows the ins and outs of an opponents guard, even when the Sawk had the advantage because the earth was his placeholder. _The kid_, with only his own power and ability mid air, turned the tides exceptionally well…'_

_*Twihp~*_

'_This human child… Followed up in that position with an exceedingly fast and well disguised punch while he disengaged from that position. I wonder how many here missed that…Hah, oh well… They are not my concern. Though, I would hate to be this Sawk at the moment.' _I thought morosely about the challengers' position.

Blue lay down on the ground, but before long Sawk leapt to his feet with revived ferociousness and charged the now stilled target of M, the Karate Pokemon wished to take the pace before it turned out worse for him; _Big mistake_. Nearing M, the Sawk had prepared for an overhead chop, only to switch his attack with his left hand in order to land a palm strike. _An unexpected feint_, or so the blue Pokemon thought… The Sawk which was now within Ms' guard had just noticed its' mistake in his approach. M had anticipated the feint and as a result, slid his way into the Pokemon's guard., crossing each other and becoming very close.

Both in that moment knew what would happen next, the child M had preemptively leaned forward a bit under the Sawk's left arm and thrust his right arm out with a clawed hand leveling his reach with the "Karate Pokemon's" right shoulder. During the cross exchange of each others' guard, M had placed his right leg directly behind the Mons' fixed left leg. With a fierce expression M hardened the muscles in his right leg and pulled with his clawed right hand downwards, tripping Sawk with his movement and forcing the Pocket Monster onto the ground once again with his back faced to M in a crouched position, who was already in a follow up stance for a curb stomp with his left leg.

'_Prediction as well… What a bundle of surprises this human is. Just where in Arceus's name did a child get so much experience from… Not only that, but he is actually using this experience and near** Future Sight** in the midst of battle for his own advantage and incorporating it into his styles. Like a finely prepared blade ready to be unsheathed.' _Thought the mysterious Pokemon to itself, impressed even further by M.

The blue Mon feeling coming doom, instinctively activated his Technical Move, **Double Kick** from its' position of vulnerability lighting up the Mons' feet with a bright light. M who didn't foresee the use of A TM, knew he could dodge the first blow, but not the second coming. Dodging the first aptly and knowing the second ferocious kick was oncoming like traffic on a freeway, he put up his right arm in a defensive position and bent as much as he could into the kick to lighten the blow to himself. Creasing his brows and grinding his teeth in pain the attack nearly launched M off of his feet, but holding his ground and knowing for a fact that the child had to end the fight as soon as possible after tanking that hit, did just that.

Adeptly and swiftly pushing through the pain in his arm, he formed a quick fist with a bent, ajar pointer finger sticking out and struck the base of the Sawk's skull where the "Wind Pool" pressure point is located; Grasping and twisting with all his might with his finger and thumb at the point of contact, compressing the pressure point with all the power of a prolonged neck hold; Fell the Pokemon unconscious, as M caught his body out of respect, before quickly putting its' body down while having an increased rate of breathes and nursing the blackened bruise forming on his arm.

'_That was… Something? The Sawk probably could not help but activate that move feeling its' life was endangered; The "Karate Pokemon" will no doubt come to M to apologize for its' lack of resistance in its' own instincts… What was that earlier move? … A strike to a pressure point perhaps? Hmhmhmmm Mm-hmm, looks like I have really found the one…' _I stated cryptically.

A _croak _of finalization was heard from the tree branch before the single Mon disappeared into the forest.

* * *

[ M's POV ]

I never knew getting kicked by a Pokemon's Technical Move would hurt _THAT_ much. Well, I guess I learned that the _hard way_… Anyways, through this I also got to experience a Pokemon's **Heal Pulse**. Thanks _bunches_ Audino…_ Guess I am playing another tune for them huh? _It feels nice… Like_ really _nice~. Though my arm is still sore from that engagement with Sawk's foot, I really hope my challenger doesn't feel bad about using its' instincts like that; Even if it was accidental, he recognized the terrible spot I put him in and acted accordingly, it was nicely timed too… Guess I may have to reassure him that I am fine and that while a rule was broken, the spar was a massive success! I'll even give him some pointers, hell, maybe he can even teach me something!

I gotta say though… And cannot say it enough! That this body is a real _hassle_ to use for a prolonged amount of time, while going all out as I did. It took a number on my already thin stamina, not only that; Though I hate to admit it, that last attack from Sawk made me a bit scared, I literally thought my arm was gonna just be broken in two. _It probably would have too_, had I not leaned into the attack to lighten the power of it… No matter now, I just gotta take it slowly for awhile…

"We're almost done! Just a few more minutes…" Starts one of the known high leveled Audino. "I gotta say though, everyone _loved_ that fight!"

"I could tell! Every one of them, especially all of the Fighting Types were going crazy during our fight." I state with truthful insight at everyone who was present. "Ah! Right, how _is _Sawk by the way…? I landed some pretty solid blows onto him during out exchanges…"

"He is doing well… Awake already in fact, that last attack you preformed_ really_ tied a knot into his neck muscles. Dangerous stuff you know how to do! You seem fairly skilled at it though, so you won't hear any harp from me! Just make sure to use that kinda stuff in appropriate times…" The other Audino states with sincerity and care.

"You got it! Also… Have you seen my two partners? Zorua and Shuppet? I haven't seen them for a bit…" I ask worriedly.

"One of the Pokemon viewing the battle pulled the two aside for a minute; Don't know where they're though…" One directs with worry equal to M's own.

"… I am sure they will be fine, they're quite the tag team duo!" I express with conviction.

"Oh yeah! They're quite the duo, huh?" Both say before giggling slightly.

'… _Wait, did they… Alright… Now I feel even worse about that fight with them earlier. God, Audino are the best at making you feel like Trubbish without even trying to do so. No malicious soul within them… So cute, yet so devious and they don't even know it… More music then? I guess that is one way to make it up to all of them, later though; There are more pressing matters at hand.' _

When I am through healing I shall seek out Sawk, and gain assurance with him that, _although he did break a rule_; It was alright in the end! No one was seriously injured, although I doubt that will appease his inner angst. I will do something different for him, maybe_ that _way… He can ultimately come to terms with it. Thinking about it now, there was definitely a lot of Pokemon… Wish I could put a number on it, but there was just _too _many for a mere observation. Ah! The healing is done!_ Good_.

"We have finished M! You should be able to move around much better without any pain." The Audino to my left speaks in finality as they both finish up the healing process. "_Although,_ just as precaution; Do not move that arm of yours _too_ much for the next week. Alright? … Great! Have a good day!"

Nodding at the Audinos for affirmation, I sit up from my position of the soft fluff that is Whimsicott fur… Yeah, they brought some for me to lay down on while this procedure was finishing. Such kind Pokemon, they have a tad bit of mischievous in them though… When a few were laying down the cotton for us, they shot some onto my face. Let me just say that getting that cotton out of hair is quite horrendous _and_ a safety hazard; Leave it at that. After thanking the Audino one last time, I make my way out of the little clearing and head for a pond that is roughly located in the center of Pinwheel if I can recall correctly.

Reaching that specific pond in the forest, I happen across quite a sight to behold. _Unfezants and Yanmaegas at each others' throats_, noticing that the Yanmega was preparing to charge in for the attack; I quickly jump in front of it with my arms held out. All four Pokemon present look at me in surprise and then curiosity, then with as much respect as they could at the present asked what I was doing.

"I noticed you four were arguing over something… From _what I saw_, I would have to say that _something_ is indeed not OK. So, from the top; What happened to cause this debacle?" I ask calmly, which was laced in curiosity.

"Well firstly!_ Someone_, intruded on our territory and marked the place up with scratches… _Scratches_ that could have only been done by you_ insects_!" Articulates and accuses the Male Unfezant. "So it would have to be one of you two or your young! _Confess_!"

"Highly improbable you turkey brained morons! Clearly you are in the sky far too much! Such lack of oxygen will be the death of you one day…" The female Yanmega leaves off dangerously in a seriously dead voice.

"Calm down! Calm down!" I interrupt slightly aggressively with my arms waving around to show how ridiculous this is. "… OK… Now that you all have yours attention to me, allow me to find out who the _real_ culprit is… Take me to where the markings are, OK you two? I will then begin to unravel this mystery once and for all!"

"… Alright, _fine_. Just make it snappy when we get there!" Directs the female Unfezant, clearly unhappy with its' territory getting intruded on frequently. "Follow me, we have a ways to go from here…"

The two begin to trudge along, silently asking us to follow. As we start out trek to the uncharted territory of the Unfezants, I begin to gather information from interviewing the two Yanmega. Letting them catch up to me, I walk in between them. Allowing the silence to persist as I formulate the questions in my head, I fire off the first query.

"… I would like to begin this by inquiring you two for some answers. Now, at what time did the Unfezants confront you about this issue?" I ask simply attempting for frame a mental picture.

"I believe we were confronted roughly an hour ago, we have been arguing for quite some time…" Begins the male Yanmega with a forward attitude. "In fact, it happened what nearly felt like half an hour after your match with that Sawk ended… Excellently preformed by the way; Most impressive."

"Thank you Yanmega! Now, onto the next question… What were you two doing during the fight with Sawk and I?" I ask of them softly and without provocation.

"Well… we were simply observing of course. If you need confirmation from someone besides us, you can ask our friends in that Seismitoad group!" I learn from the female Yanmega, who seems to be a bit of an airhead. "We gathered together when we heard that very _pleasant_ tune you played… Oh! Are you going to play some more for us?!"

"Certainly! I can play one more before I head back to Nacrene later in the afternoon; Preferably before four o'clock of course! Anyways,_ the Seismitoads, huh_? OK!" I open again with a kind gesture before continuing the inquiries once more. "Let me continue with this line of questioning then; Where were you two during the time before the confrontation with the Unfezants happened?"

"Hmm, well… We went back to our home near the pile of fallen trees with that mound of earth… During this time we were attending to our young, this lasted roughly… thirty minutes?… I can't say exactly, but it felt like twenty minutes before we were interrupted by those _bird brained idiots_." The male Yanmega attempts to give information before insulting the two "Proud Pokemon".

"Now, now… They have every right to be angry; Just not with randoms of course. Wait for this to be resolved, then we can bring about the end to this as peacefully as possible…" I dawn to him peacefully.

"… Right. So… Anymore questions?"

"Nope! That should do it for now… I may have to ask some more later, but for now; I must go speak with the two in front of us, _Ciao_." Completing the first part of the interviews, I head towards to Unfezants leading us.

"… Excuse me, you two?" I start catching the attention of both the Mons. "I would like to ask you some questions…"

Taking a slow stroll to the front of the group, I repeatedly go over the finer details of what was said by each one of the Yanmega. _The framework for this picture is coming together nicely. _The dots are connecting- I, now just need to get the Unfezant's view on this situation and look over the scene of the markings. Once I gather all of the information from the interviews, I can then begin my investigation… Currently in the midst of questioning I take notice of nothing damning for either side, everything matches up perfectly for the two parties involved. _Interesting_\- Now, I just need to see the location of the markings and I will go from there.

"… We are here, don't do anything weird… _I am watching you, all of you_..." Declares the female Unfezant clearly agitated by these turn of events, before flying up to a nest and settling in it; Glaring at us like a manned watchtower.

"… OK, well… You two are going to just… Uh, _fly_ there for now. I am going to one over this place and see if I can find anything that will help resolve this situation." I open a farewell dialogue, while also signifying the commencement of my forensic investigation.

"… Thank you."

"Thanks many~!"

Looking at the surroundings, after the thanks from the Yanmega; I am flabbergasted by the amount of damage done to the area. Scratch marks littering every ounce of space, and a few other things I happen to notice right off the bat… For now though, the scratches definitely appear to be from something with claws or _pointed legs_ in this case. Narrowing down the list of suspects that reside in this forest, I come to a conclusion about which Pokemon it could be…

'_It could very well be stray Yanma, perhaps even Venipede? Beedrill… Maybe? … Vigoroth could do this pretty easily as well… Hmm, Ah right! Murkrow reside here in this forest…' _I ponder as I examine the influenced range of trees.

Walking towards the trees I get a closer look at what very well could have caused such destruction. Coming within a foot of the tree I spare a more analytical look, and begin to trace my fingers on the scarred areas. Feeling the smooth surface, that is also perturbed on certain points-_ Like something is climbing or perhaps stabbing_… I start to deduce what could have caused this once more.

'_This most certainly leaves out Yanma, the markings are a single line; Yanma posses two Tarsus for claws. This allows them to better grasp things when landing…'_ I take a comedic glance to the ground as well. _'THAT and what sane Yanma would land on the ground THEN crawl on the ground to get to the tree?' _

'_Vigoroth are also out of this scenario… Their claws would leave much greater cuts.'_ Huffing to myself in amusement as I connect the metaphorical points. '_Also, this is the "Wild Monkey Pokemon" we are dealing with! It was literally designed after a sloth… Impossible… Especially considering the arm length is completely wrong here.'_

'_So- That leaves Murkrow, Venipede, and Beedrill. Hmph! Alright, let us take a look around before coming to anymore conclusions…' _I comply to myself in finalization.

"Hey- Did you find anything yet?!" Screeches the female Unfezant. "I am getting tired of waiting!"

Smirking to myself, I answer. "Why yes! I did find something rather interesting! Though you may not be pleased to hear it! … Still wanna know?" I ask calmly and with a hint of hilarity at the situation that will be unfolding soon.

"You're damn right I do! Tell me so I can kick these bugs asses!" Yells the nested Unfezant once more.

"Well~… Turns out that the one that did this was not even related to the Yanmega Line at all!" I cup my hands and yell back to her so she can hear me completely.

"Excuse me?!" The female Unfezant freaks out before speedily leaving her nest and sitting right in front of me. "You're telling me that these two, nor even their kids... _Did nothing_?!"

"Indeed! They did _nothing_!" I exclaim with a big smile and closed eyes, clearly having too much fun.

"Well… _Shit_!"

"… Please, tell us you found something else at least?" Interjects the male Unfezant with a concerned tone.

"… I have. There are three different suspect groups that I will look into after I am finished scouring this place for anymore clues… Anyhow…" I walk towards them without any harmful intention, before whispering to them both. "You should apologize to these two by the way; Try and smooth things over while I search… OK? They will understand the difficulties of… _you know_…"

They look confused as I point upwards, though not long after they finally get what I mean; Soon after, they look regretful for pining it on them too early. Smiling sadly at them, I turn around and continue my investigation of the surroundings. Passing a few trees, I come upon one of the things that caught my eye… _A left over piece of berry. _One with many bite marks on it…

'_Hmph, alright…' _

Coming to a conclusion on what occurred at this point in the spectrum, I take my leave. Continuing to walk towards to second point of interest in this mystery, I come upon rustled and indented grass… Crouching down to get a better look, I cast glances at every inch of the blades grass and fallen leaves; Soon after my observation, I stand up.

'_Mm-Hmm, veeery peculiar indeed…'_

Turning I look at the final thing that caught my eye. Striding to it much quicker than the others, I happen to see something else far more eye catching than the last few points-_ A trail_! … Firstly though, I once again crouch down to its' level and begin to reach for my gloves… After putting them both on with a snap, I pick up the object before me; A stabbed piece of bark… But not just_ any __pierced _bark. After toying with it and looking it over once more, I place it back down where I found it. Taking my gloves off and putting them back inside of my jacket, I proceed to walk over to the four Pokemon.

'… _It would seem I have found the culprits, though before I confront them… I would like to have Zorua and Shuppet at my side; Just in case… That trail should reveal where they are currently staying as well…' _

"OK! Well, I have only got good news for you. _The bad thing though_, is I want to resolve this peacefully; To do that, I need my partners, Zorua and Shuppet with me while I go and confront the culprits about this… I can tell you all are feeling kind of pissed at this still… So, just let me deal with this issue. I'll come back and get you all later when I am done with the dispute. Just sit tight! This whole thing will be behind us soon!" I talk and appease them with my confident attitude.

'_I really do hope nothing bad happens when I go there… Knowing my rotten luck though...'_

* * *

[ Author's Note ] Hello again! I honestly would have had this up a day earlier, but College! I also gotta ask... Are you all excited as I am for the new My Hero movie?! I am buying the advanced tickets just in case for my pals and I. Just gotta wait until the end of February, then I can go full throttle in the theater like I did last time... _Plus Ultra Style_... Anyways, next chapter will once again be up in **5 Days**. I gotta say though, with all the signs that occurred in that new Pokemon Direct... There very well could be Gen 4 remakes... Can't wait... _Hopefully at least._

[ Two Pokie manz ] I can only wonder what those two are, huh?! I gave pretty good hints on who those two were though...

[ You may have noticed something... ] I only plan on doing those ending tid bits for "arcs" now. You know, the ones after the chapter was done.

[ New Milestone ] We hit 2000 Views! Keep it up peeps!

Now! Smell ya laters~!


	10. Chapter 10

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

[ -'s POV ]

"You want M to… Take _this_? … _Why_…?" The Zorua before me asks unassured. "I mean- Are you _really_ certain this is OK…?"

"_I am;_ Us Fighting Types may get stronger on our own… But there is something that only Trainers can teach us… I would like your assistance with this, could you help me in this endeavor?_ Please_?" I inquire softly with a bit of implore. "I know this seems… _Strange_… But this is a wish-_ A wish_ from someone I hold _very _dearly to me…"

The Zorua and Shuppet glimpse at each other for a split second, both thinking how to proceed with this sentimentalism provided by the Pokemon before them. The two soon later come to a unanimous decision, bred from the desire to help others; To have them live with smiles, no matter what. M's Tricky Fox Pokemon begins to make his way over to the slight beseeching Pokmon.

"… Very well. We can help you, but first we need to return to M. He has the final say in things like this- Though if I had to be honest… He'll agree no problem!" The fox gives me a cheshire grin, while stating with conviction. "M is a very kind person… An individual I have grown love for as a brother… I would never doubt him, just as he would never doubt me."

"… I may not have been with M as long as Z here has, but… I do care a lot for him." The Puppet Pokemon expresses with jubilation. "He has shown me so much and given me much to think about, with this; M has secured my friendship, a friendship that will not die out so easily… You can trust us with this… I promise!"

Breathing out a deep sigh of relief, the "Toxic Mouth" Pokemon looks towards to two with a tired smile and a very grateful expression. Taking its' time, the Pokemon waltzed behind himself; Slowly reaching the embankment that the three were stopped near. Reaching for the thing they were discussing, the Mon grasps it while looking at it with all the happiness in the world. Picking up the object of interest, it appears to be covered in fermenting leaves and Whimsicott cotton. Walking back over to the two Pokemon that share such sentiments with the human of my interest; I encourage them to return to their trainer with a firm nod, while I in tow follow them.

"… Alright, let us be offthen… **Toxicroak**."

[ M's POV ]

The best thing to do when attempting to find someone lost, or anything in general really; Is to retrace your steps. Finding those two should not be too hard if I can land my eyes on Zorua's tracks, something that is now fairly difficult due to the amount of Pokemon that were at the spot the fight took place. With no luck, I continue the search for any sign of small paws.

"Hmm, perhaps I should search more outwards…? No that-"

"M! There you are!" A familiar voice calls out to me.

Turning to look at the recognizable sound, I come across the very commonplace blue looking Pokemon, Sawk; The challenger from earlier! Sawk proceeds to jump over a fallen tree and jog towards me, stopping a few feet in front of myself. After calming himself down, he bows to me in sorrow.

"I apologize. I broke the rules we both agreed to! I-"

Stopping him with a clap, he looks up to me quickly with wide eyes, after seeing my gentle facial expression he calms down and bows once more, finally finishing apologizing in such a fashion.

"It is alright Sawk… You did what you thought was right in that situation; It was my fault for pushing it that far." I correct him. Noticing his face however, I once again put my hand out. "Before you disagree, I _was _using a Martial Art designed for killing and not sportsmanship. This may be why your instincts kicked off as hard as they did, so, we are square as far as I am concerned, OK?"

"… Alright, OK. There is something I wish to gift you as an apology anyways, please accept it!" The Karate Pokemon pulls up his hand that was holding something. "This is… A prize I won a while back against another Sawk I was facing off against…"

"Please take it, not as a sign of my apology; But as one for us being '_square_' as you call it." The blue Mon holds out the Black Belt for me to take.

Giving a sigh with a helpless smile and closed eyes, I reach out and take a hold of it. Bringing it closer for me to see, it is easily longer than my stubby arms; Nice to touch though, very soft. Completely black, true to its' name, I can just feel the power radiating off of it, ready to enhance any and all Fighting Type Moves. I turn around and put it inside of my pendant, quickly maneuvering back to Sawk, I make jazz hands with it to show that I did a mock magic trick.

"… How did you…?"

"Hmhm, questions for another time… Now, I have to be off! I am currently looking for my partners, Zorua and Shuppet. Have you seen them anywhere? I heard they went with another Pokemon… Did you happen to see anything?" I ask to see if he knew anything; Even just a direction.

The Mon stops himself and looks down in contemplation, before long however; He shakes his head for a negative. Giving a sigh of helplessness- He appears to notice, walking towards me as I glance around the area.

"Would you like some assistance in finding your Pokemon?" Sawk questions towards me kindly while giving a nod. "I have traversed this forest for quite a long time; Allow me to assist you in searching!"

Looking over to the Mon of question, I look at him with a grateful smile and proceed with what he asked. Nodding to him with confirmation, he understands immediately and before he begins to look I beckon him over to show the Karate Pokemon what I am actually looking for.

"I am looking for them, but- _Zorua's prints_… Is what I am currently searching for, if you could help with finding those, then you can join me on their trail; Here is what we are watching out for…" Expressing as I turn around once more and take out my _Pal Pad _turned _Note Pad_; Hastily etching what the prints of Zorua look like roughly. "_These_\- This is what we are looking for… Take the sketch and see if you can spot any. If you could starrrt… Over there! That would be awesome! Thanks again Sawk!"

"Got it! I see if I can spot this type of print." The Mon states as he grabs the picture and takes off to look for the prints.

'_...Now… Where do _I_ start…?' _I inquire to myself. _'Perhaps… Over here?'_

Taking my time to search for any sign of prints that Z may have left, I stroll around taking in the scenery as well. Having searched for a few minutes, I hear Sawk call out my name once more; Leaping to attention, I run over to the Karate Pokemon and take a look at what he is pointing at after giving a long stare to the etch in his hands.

"… I think this is it. I could be wrong though…"

"… No! Actually, you're right. These are his prints; Great job Sawk! Seriously… I've been looking forever." I give thanks to the blue Pokemon before me serenely. "So… Wanna come with for now?"

"I have nothing to do for now, training is later… So I am currently free- Lead the way!" Sawk exclaims with a bit of excitement.

"Alright! Stick close to me, if I stop; Make sure to stop as well. Ah, Also do your best not to step on these either… We my have to retrace these in case of a dead end." Stating with mock annoyance, I declare.

He gives a sharp nod to me, thus beginning our tracking of my family… and the _Toxicroak_…? Is that the Mon that pulled them aside…_ Judging by these footprints I'd say yes to that. _Following the indented feet in the soft ground, we begin to go a bit faster as the tracks continue in a single direction. Coming to a stop just as the prints do, I observe our surroundings slightly; Noticing which direction they went, we once again follow them.

"Excuse me, M?" Starts the Karate Pokemon. "What did you do to knock me out so quickly after my blunder?"

"Ah, I just struck a pressure point and condensed the sight of contact. There are a lot of nerves in certain parts of both a human and Pokemons' body… That when are disturbed in anyway cause different reactions." Beginning my explanation of my technique, I elaborate slowly for understanding. "The one I hit, if massaged can cause drowsiness, though I just applied the appropriate force in order to instantly render you unconscious; It is dangerous though, if someone didn't know what they were doing… They could've killed you… Although, if they happened to be untrained, they may not have even attempted it correctly."

I look back towards Sawk to gauge his reaction; _Only mild surprise, he is thinking about that earlier fight- Quite a lot it would seem_. Pondering on how to proceed with this line of speech, I make up my mind.

"… I can show you some things if you want- Er, not the pressure point stuff; Too dangerous, but the other things I can teach ya if you want?" I pose a query to him in consideration.

"Really…? Well… If you are offering I shall not refuse then!" Sawk exaggerates with happiness at the end. "If you do not mind me asking, when can we begin…?"

"… Perhaps after this incident I have found myself in." Looking up to the sky, I determine what time it is. "… Hah! It isn't even pass noon yet… Unbelievable… It has only been three hours… Slow day I guess, huh?"

"I suppose it is, due to my training being on hold at the moment… Things have felt… _Calming_, I suppose I can say." The Sawk expresses softly with closed eyes.

Continuing our walk, we hear something in the distance; Halting our movements as I raise my hand quickly to alert Sawk of something. Kneeling to the ground and cupping my hands over my ears in the direction of the sound- I hear it far clearer… That sounds like Zorua and Shuppet, plus that Toxicroak…

"I do believe that is them in front of us… Let us run to them now! Our destination is nigh!" I ecstatically exclaim with a big grin towards Sawk.

Getting a nod of confirmation while he also has a smile, made me grin even more as a result. Taking off running, we soon come across the three- And something very neatly wrapped in… fermenting leaves and cotton…? Perhaps Whimsicott cotton. _Ohhh, that's the stuff… _Taking my attention away from the object of my intrigue, I run faster towards them and yell to get their attention.

[ Zorua's POV ]

"You three!" At the sound of my bros' voice, I quickly turn to his direction. "Over here!"

Smiling I run over to him rub my face on his leg to express how happy I am to see him, not even noticing that Shuppet was next to me as well. Looking up, I am gifted with that smile I have always known; Showing him some more teeth, I glance towards Shuppet behind me and squee a bit in surprise. At both of their laughs I compose myself, and look towards Toxicroak.

"Ahem! Anyways, this Toxicroak wanted you to have something M, something very important to him and someone else. He was wondering if you would accept it." I go over the main detail completely without giving error.

"…" He was observing what it was, finally recognizing it; He quickly asked… "… Why give me something so precious, you… do not even know me."

"… _This _is something I have been meaning to do… I just haven't come across the right Trainer- Even if, you are not technically one yet." The Toxic Mouth Pokemon starts. "Your being was laid bare before me when you fought that Sawk there. Having seen someone with such… Ideals, I cannot help but feel you are the one… Please, take this… Some of us Fighting Types like to do this sort of thing; So do not feel any form of awkwardness by accepting it."

Holding out the oval shaped thing, M caresses it; While petting the object of interest, he looks up to Toxicroak. The Mon began to feel a bit dejected, as it thought that it was being refused.

"I accept!"

Toxicroak quickly looks up with wide eyes.

"Some Pokemon have an issue regarding an invasion of their territory, I have accepted the task of finding out who the perps are… I have found them, I know who they are; But, I need your guys' assistance if you all do not mind…" M declares as he looks at the wrapped up thing, and looks towards the Mon holding it seriously.

"… You are going to confront them then?… I see- I accept! Let me go put this away first; Wait here, I'll be back shortly…" States the Toxic Mouth Pokemon as he hops away fairly quickly.

"Sooo, what are the Pokemon we will be confronting…? I swear if it is a Bug Type…"

"It's a Bug Type!" M says with too much happiness at me.

"Aghhh! Why?! Why world?! Why must it be my weakness! Every! Single! Time!" I exclaim in mock agony and begin to role around on the ground to showcase my frustration.

Hearing the laughs of the left over group, I turn on my side and scowl at them with half-lidded eyes. Laughing even more at that, Shuppet begins to fall to the ground and M gets on one knee as he tries to hold it in. Seeing this I smile slightly too… Now! Onto dealing with those pesky Bug Types!

"So, what is the game plan." Querying to M while looking at him seriously. "At worst we will be swarmed… Do you have a plan prepared?"

"… In case of emergency, I do have a plan. However, I seek to end this peacefully; So no guns blazing, nor any cloak and dagger tactics, just completely and utterly _peace__ful_… I can hear Toxicroak coming back… Let us be ready."

"Right!" I shout along with the other two present near him.

[ Shuppet's POV ]

We were traveling down that trail that M had found near the Unfezant's nesting spot, I was a bit excited too; M told me that I would be acting as Zorua's shield once more if things hit the fan. He was also reassured by Toxicroaks presence, saying that just he alone could handle them all like nothing- Just that the Toxic Mouth Pokemon would prefer not to; Exactly like M in this situation… Ever since coming into this pathway though… I have felt the presence of numerous Pokemon… When I mean numerous, I mean there is just _that_ many. They were all watching us too… Ughhh, I wanna go somewhere else~, I_ hate _all this _attention_!

Suddenly multiple **Poison Stings** go off in front of us, blocking our path with their needles edged into every spec of dirt. Hearing a metric ton of scurrying around us, I look around in slight worry as cold sweat develops on me. Then suddenly, all at once the rustling of the leaves in the trees halted as two roars are heard; Hearing massive thumps in the distance, we all look towards the origin of the sounds. As the noise gets closer and closer everyone in the group besides M tenses up. Breaking out of the visage of the bushes comes two Scolipedes, now clear for us to see- The Venipedes begin to show themselves, from what appears to be hundreds of them; Their eyes' illuminate from within their hiding spots. Whirlipedes also begin to make their appearance as well, with a loud tumbling noise a couple dozen make their way to us before stopping all around us.

.

. .

. . .

"Why have you sought us out…? We do not take too kindly to trespassers." A very scratchy voice speaks out grimly with a royal tone of a king.

"_Speak_… We know it is you,_ human dubbed M_… It is for this reason that we have not had our youngling attack you all where you stand." Asks forcefully the softer, yet just as scratchy voice states endowed with a queen's voice.

M who hears them speaking walks forward and kneels in front of them with a fist on the ground and his other arm crossed over his kneeling knee, keeping his head down and looking towards the ground. Soon all of us follow his example, and begin to address our reason for visiting- To ask of them why their young had destroyed the area surrounding the nesting grounds.

"I have come to inquire something from you…" M trails off waiting for approval.

"… _Granted_, raise your head- M…" Answers the female voice with a far less threatening tone at the sight of M and his group.

"I have come to bear a question of you two… Do you have any knowledge of your young intruding onto Unfezant territory recently?" M asks very serenely and with a hypnotizing smile.

"… Do elaborate for us…" Queries the "_King_" with ever so slightly narrowed eyes.

"Yes! After my wounds were attended to by my friends in the Audinos', I came across two Unfezants and two Yanmega at each others' throats; Luckily I was able to get involved fast enough before anyone was injured." Begins M as he goes over his story. "It was then that I discovered what the four were quarreling over; _Allegedly_, the Unfezant's territory was completely ruined by markings- Markings that were thought to be from the Yanmega's young…"

"So… If I had to guess where you are going with this, it would be that you discovered something that pinpoints my young as the culprits- Surely someone as intelligent as you _appear_ to be, would not come strolling into out borders without some shred of evidence…" Alludes the _"Queen" _trying to probe him for both deceit and truth.

"Indeed, I have three pieces of that evidence inside of my jacket pocket; Would you mind if I reach for it? I would have to put some gloves on to touch it as well…" M inquires very softly to not come off as threatening.

Hearing this the surrounding Venipedes start rustling the leaves and shaking the branches in discontentment; However a single look from the two Megapede Mon silences any further action from them. Giving a nod of affirmation, the female Scolipede allows this seemingly terrible transgression to Pokemon to occur. M slowly reaches for the inside of his jacket and just as slowly pulls out two black gloves and puts them on silently, then reintroduces his right hand to his inner pocket and pulls out three slightly discolored barbs. Holding them out for the all to see, the Scolipedes hunch over to see exactly what it is; Looking at each other the two look displeased and glace quickly to their young, who disperse very quickly at the disappointed looks. Going back to whatever they were doing.

"… We can cease this _play_ now, my family has returned to their duties…" The two state in much friendlier voices.

Hearing the confirmation to stop formalities all stand and M gives the two grateful looks, who in return give the human a look of apology. Everyone giving out sighs of relief, they all look to one another.

"… It is always a release when such frivolities are equally denounced by all present; Honestly, if we had to uphold that image every second of every day- _I would go insane!"_

"Agreed!" Confirms the male voice in response to the female one. "Now… onto business, what do you-_ M_, plan to do with this?"

"Nothing!" Exclaims M rather flatly as he radiates that smile everyone loves.

.

. .

. . .

"_Excuse me_? Did we hear that right?" Urges the two Scolipedes as they stand there confused looking at each other.

"Well… I only wanted to come here to form some talks of peace, so, perhaps if I could get to the bottom of the '_why_' your young are doing this… Perhaps I can help?" M states with conviction.

The male Megapede looks surprised, then looks to his mate in worry. Only getting a faraway look in her eyes in response, as she slowly closes them… Reopening her two eyes to look deeply at M with eyes filled with a continuous grieving.

"Are you certain you wish to talk about this? … We don't need-"

"No… _No_…! _I-I must_! … A burden shared… is a burden halved after all…" The female Scolipede cuts of the male in haste, sighing deeply to herself as she looks to the sky; As if searching for some cosmic answer to her problem.

"It is because… I am still _mournful_\- _Very much so in fact_, my prior love… A few years back, was killed by a flock of different Flying Types in an attempt to protect our kin from their demise… I still remember his groans of pain so vividly as he passed; _It won't stop_…" Expressing herself in a vulnerable way as she shakily continued her tragedy. "The young- They revere the both of us so much. To see me in such an_ anguished_ _state_ causes them to do things most irrationally…"

Listening to this, I couldn't help but frown in sadness as I look downwards… Deciding what I should do next, I slowly float my way over to the female Scolipede and place my horn on her. As the time slowly passes, she regains a better foothold for her bearings and calms down. Looking at M, I send a silent message to see if he can help with this; Understanding my look he walks over to the Megapede Pokemon and places a hand on her.

"You loved him very dearly didn't you…? It was not just some love of self gratification either… You _really_ loved him, huh? You gave this individual a piece of yourself… They died and you lost the person you loved, and the piece of yourself in the process; Love is not about _taking_\- It is about _giving_… And you lost what you gave… You are feeling that loss of that person, because you held him that dearly…" M starts as he endows us with his knowledge and wisdom on love and loss. "'The people make a serious mistake in thinking that you give to those whom you love…' The real answer to this is… '…You love those to whom you give.' If you give someone something, you have invested yourself into that individual; Since self love is a given, on a level everyone loves themselves, or at least something about themselves- Now that part of you has become a part of your prior love, there was a part of you that is lost now. True love is a love of giving… Not a love of receiving…"

"Listen- There truly is no right or wrong way to deal with the death of a loved one… If I had to be honest, it is a mix of both coping with the loss and the shift that had impacted you so dearly… Even though, I have experienced your pain as well… I do not have some magical answer on how to work through the pain- Live life in your own pace… No one else can dictate that but_ you_…! If you're on a complete derail though, and have no way to turn to… Then perhaps I could offer some advice; _Advice_ from one living with grief to another…" M casually states with a very underlining tone of sorrow himself.

"… You know grief… I am certain at least on some level- _We all do_… Grief is most definitely not the clear ocean view from Castelia… No; It is a dirty quick-sandish pool of gunk that pulls you in the more you struggle. It is natural to struggle though, so do not worry about that! Do not be afraid to face the part of yourself you are missing… Avoiding it does so much more harm than good; I can attest to that!" M laughs wistfully with no humor.

"… Surround yourself in the things that make you happy…! Not some… Fake happiness either, that just avoids the issue; No! Your children… Talk to them about this. From what I saw, I do not believe you have- I think you have already figured that one out though from what you said earlier…" M detects the already identified issue and moves on. "Love! That is a good one; One you have most definitely already figured out at least. Or perhaps, what I stated earlier may have shed some light on what you may have been searching for…"

"It would do you good, to find someone more _permanent_ to discuss these feelings with… After all, I will eventually move on to complete my own goals that I have set for myself; Also a good one! Set a goal, and complete it! Don't over do it though, just do what you can; As I said earlier, at your own pace! … Now, I want you to know, Scolipede, that living is a constant sadness for people like us. What matters, is how you fill that gap- The hole in your heart that was left devoid after you prior lover passed away; The best thing to do to make up for that _division_… Is to_ multiply_! Create more of yourself, more of your love! So that more of others can continue to be loved by you! So many more yous continue to exist within everyone who has had the honor to obtain that love…" Continues M, in his uplifting onslaught.

"The most excruciating of pains, is having to experience a 'true goodbye', and never get explained as to why… That '_why_' is something you must discover for yourself though… I hope what I said can help you… _I really do_…" Finishes M, in his warm and never ending wisdom and insight.

Silence filled the area as my thoughts were slowed down to a snails' pace, Zorua was looking a bit like Scolipede was earlier; His eyes slightly forlorn and distant. The same can be said for Toxicroak, although he has hidden it well, it isn't hard to tell how much he is actually shaking if you stare at him for a good while. M… He just looks understanding and comforting, just giving everyone time- While I… How do I help with this situation…? _God; I feel so damn useless… _I believe Sawk is feeling the same, judging by his current expression.

'_How can I help with this kind of situation… Use that hollow head of yours shuppet…!'_

Slight muffled sniffling is coming from the female Scolipede as the male tries to make her feel better by being next to her. Looking away, she attempts to appease herself from the inside before facing us once more. Once she has ceased shaking the Scolipede looks back to us- And bows her head to us.

"… _Thank you_…"

A smile filled with sorrow is all he gives in response.

[ -'s POV ]

… It is not very often that I would wake myself just to view the day of an individual, a _human_ no less. I may not detest humans per say, but I most definitely do not have a positive opinion of them either. Anyone who harms any one of my friends will get a swift and utter defeat by me- That has always been in effect since I can remember, _so in light of this_; I was baffled by this human called M. I may already know most humans do not act atrociously, but that does not change how I consciously feel- No, it never will… Yet, M continued to surprise me with his humble and quirky attitude… I do not find myself surprised as much as I have been in just a few hours by this human._ It is quite startling…_

After his pep talk with the mourning Scolipede, who seemed to have been highly affected by his words- In a good way of course, I could feel 'er becoming very self conscious of some issues, _issues many never find themselves_. M just left in a hurry, I could feel is state of mind though, it was slightly erratic just as his heartbeat… _Perhaps that is why…? Hmm… _Following the human who split off from the rest of his group to be alone for a bit, I stilled as stopped suddenly stopped and turned towards another direction. Watching him for a bit, I began following once more- Continuing our trek, we happen upon a small pond; Much unlike the others in this forest, not a bog nor a marsh, but a serene and completely fresh one… The one I drink out of myself.

M begins to sit down at the edge of the of water, sitting there for a few minutes in silent deliberation as he focuses on his inner turmoil. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a silent sigh, he begins to mumble something to himself…

"… _One last ride off to dreamland_…"

… Lyrics? _Intriguing_… Coming closer as silently as possible while hiding my presence within the woods behind him. I listen closer to the sung words.

"… _Your love, your smile… All your happiness and your tears_…"

Getting lost in the words I slowly creep my way behind him; Deciding to just show my presence I come into his peripheral view and lay down next to the edge of the pond with him. He glances towards me, not breaking his concentration on the song though.

"… _I'll feel you, in my arms_…"

Closing my eyes, I allow my head to rest on my crossed legs; Head still turned towards M though to show my interest…

"… _Everything we found, makes me sing_…"

The exquisitely placed wording of the song as well as his pacing of the soft tune he projects while singing it, allows me to get lost in the lyrics, soon I found myself getting very sleepy; Deciding to trust this single human who has earned my absolute respect. I cave into my desire to sleep as I hear one last verse…

"… _You brought the light that made today- Perfect and bright so dream away, now you're an angel… Sleeping in peace… Baby you'll be… Surrounded by my love… Through… All… Eternity_…"

. . .

[ M's POV ]

I was rather surprised when I bared my eyes upon the Pokemon before me, even more so when it appeared out of the corner of my eye to lie down… Then it began to sleep… _Guess my singing was too much for it, huh_? … I wonder sometimes about my past life… My memories, I may look through them quite frequently; However, helping that Scolipede had some rather… _Harsh ones_ pop up.

"Ah… Veronica…"

Giving a heavy sigh, I look out towards to calm waters; No ripples in sight, no disturbances… Just this Pokemon and I, as well as my memories of course… Living with all this is always difficult no matter what circumstance- But, I think carrying this with you… Makes you so much stronger than you'd believe. Push forward and never give in! That is what all of my experiences have taught me! Do not falter M! You've got things to do!

"Alright! Lets go M!" Expressing to myself with determination while flailing my arms around to enunciate my point further; But most importantly, _quietly_… Sleeping Pokemon after all…

Stopping my excitement, I look towards to sleeping Pokemon and decide to wake it; Slowly approaching her, I pet its' mane. Once it comes to, it looks towards me and gets up, soon after though- It stares, not breaking contact with my eyes for a quite a few seconds.

"… M. You have settled quite a conundrum that even I didn't believe could be fixed; I felt that Scolipedes… 'Aura' as you call it… She is putting the things you said together, and will soon come to a realization that will be better for every Pokemon of this forest I watch over… And it is for this reason, that you have not only gained my admiration; But respect… For this, I have a gift I wish for you to take… Wait here while I go and retrieve it!"

Hearing that she had a gift for me made me stand on edge, getting something from this type of Pokemon is very rare… _I must have really impressed it today, Hm_? Sitting down once more, I begin to think on what my next course of actions will be after I leave Nacrene City.

'_There is Granny Kirigiri… Then I need to get a hold of my family near Striaton City- From there all of us will travel to Nuvema Town to meet the Professor and deliver the two letters from Burgh and Lenora… Hopefully Aurea and Cedric will be willing to help after reading those letters, otherwise I'd be in a tight spot… It would be there that we start traveling to Castelia and staying in the surrounding area; Or hell, mabye Burgh will help us with some form of lodging…'_

As I finish my plan for the upcoming turmoil, the Pokemon of question swaggers up to me and places the object of interest in my outstretched hand. Catching the item, I stare in shock at what it is…

"I received this item from a good friend of mine, I was happening across an unfortunate Pokemon when suddenly _'__she'_ appeared and dropped this off for me whilst also healing the Pokemon… She would want you to have this, I believe since you will be traveling lots, that this item will come in handy whenever the need arises… Take good care of it…" The soft spoken female Mon states seriously, before disappearing back into the woods with a few leaps and hops.

"… Thank you… **Virizion**…" Clutching the important item in my hand before putting it around my neck like my other necklace, I stand and smile in the "Grassland Pokemon's" direction before heading back to the others.

**[ Summoning Strife; Tiding Tears ]**

"**Aspiration Arising"**

**Arc End**

[ Author's Note ] Kong Bong Wa! Nice to see ya'll again! Shorter than usual chapter… But should be good nontheless. I have a surprise for you all next chapter~. I wonder if you will like it though… Just be ready for something… "_different_". I do believe it will showcase how I will do some "things" from here on out though! Gotta keep quiet about it though! Shhh~

[ That song... ] Props to whoever knows the name of that song and the game is comes from; Will forever be my favorite game!

[ Those two things by Toxicroak and Virizion? ] I gave a pretty good hint on what the first one was, it was fairly obvious by how I was making these latest chapters. The one from Virizion though? _Nah fam_… I ain't spillin' nothin' yet.]

[ Oops ] I made a simple mistake! That literally changed things, for future and present context! A single letter! My bad- Thank you for pointing that out reviewer, I corrected that typo... That's what I get for skimming through the typo and rushing off to bed...


	11. Chapter 11

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

Preparing for a flight in advance is usually optional if you are only taking to the sky for merely an hour or two; Prepping for flights in advance "_overseas_" is the far more _optimal_ choice for such a long-haul flight of over ten hours of soaring above the ocean… That is merely the_ journey_ however. Even before the arrival of the plane, so much time, costs, and planning had gone into the flight that _**Oleana**_ had been pressing for taking. Firstly- The research of the ticket… Paying that said ticket, the hotel fees, unfortunate transfers; Had to play out a_ worst case scenario_, just in case… _Visas_,that one was a_ pain in the rear_. _Children_ do not usually travel on plans without the express permission from a _guardian _after all.

_*Sigh…*_ A light breath seeps from Oleana's tiny, yet circular lips as if she is readying a kiss; The little girl sitting in a cafe of the airport's terminal building, reminisces about her past as her mind churns with well practiced and contained resentment and loneliness- _True to a life with no love for a prolonged period of time_; Her doll-like face, however, barely breaks a sneer of disgust with these transgressions occurring within this girl of a thin and tiny stature, barely breaking seven years old.

Returning to the little olive's thoughts she recounts her experiences from the troubles of traveling currently _and_ for the future… From there we have your every day packed suitcase, thankfully the list of things she needed was rather small, mostly just for wearing; Clothing items that can be removed on the fly… Traveling through the sky is an arduous task, _most definitely_. The need for multiple items of wearing stems from the fact that during the flight the cabin may or may not change temperature, _quite frequently_ if it does…

So, having multiple articles of clothing that are made more for "comfort", "stretching", and "removing" are the most definite choice to don. This is why I have opted for short-sleeved white sweater paired with a matching cardigan. _Fitted quite nicely… This is why I prefer comfort clothing… _It is from here you must worry about "_water retention"_… I was the most worried about this one- However, taking precautions… Wearing black compression stockings was a must, that, and they match with the already comforting outfit I chose along with some loafers that I spent quite along time choosing from the already magnificent collection of comfy footwear. Breaking her form her thoughts, Oleana checks the time on her phone to see if it is time.

"… Better done early, than on time…" States the child with a firm yet soothing voice as she sits up and pops her spine with her left arm on the nape of her neck and a twist of the head. Giving an overly exaggerated expression of exhaustion towards her next destination, she walks with her luggage in tow as the little Olive reforms her composed facial expression. "Hmm, B3… Why are you _so far_ _away_…"

Glancing up and down at her boarding pass for what seems to be the hundredth time, she makes certain she is heading the right direction; Perfection. Though it _can be_ annoying, it is always the best choice for situations like these, as she has learned that _the hard way_… After securing the correct way to her terminal, Oleana continues her trek until she reaches the destination of her desire- _B3_. Confirming once more with her boarding pass and the letter and number on both the pass and the gate, she finds a spot to sit at near the gate to not miss an announcement.

_That would be _very_ bad… _After loading my luggage onto the conveyor belt near gate B3, I am greeted by the next thing I must load in; _My Pokemon-_ Taking their Pokeballs', I place the three of them into a tray with six slots and a lid on it, it proceeds to follow the conveyor belt just next to the one for luggage. Finally completing everything on my mental checklist, I then connect to the airport wifi through the brand new touch screen phone I procured as I find a place to sit down. The little Olive then begins to look for news on the upcoming event in Unova…

"… The _'Global Inventor Awards'_… Hosted by none other than the '_International Pokemon Patent Office_'…" Oleana quickly skims over the already known information with the adeptness of a seasoned secretary. "… Official responses received- Will be in attendance… Lysandre of Kalos…Also the current President of the Aether Foundation and his family from Alola… President of the Devon Corporation; Mr. Joseph Stone and his son, Steven Stone. As well as the President of Silph Co. _No one important_… and Chairman… _Rose_…"

The little Olives' expression softens quite a bit at the name of Rose. Giving a soft sigh of relief as she rests back into her seated position. Allowing herself to close her eyes, _just for a moment_; Oleana thinks back to the time before the grueling process of research and development as well as the current predicament. To get Chairman Rose interested in her creation… Just the times before she wished to shower Galar in love and happiness- Just as Chairman Rose has and is. That which she _didn't get_ from those _disgusting people_, just to spite them- _Just like they did to her_…

* * *

Kids playing tag on the concrete playing ground, the adults supervising, everything just seemed to be going smoothly this day; Nothing disturbed in sight… As the children play around outside of the building, there is however, someone just that- _Disturbed_, though most couldn't tell, or even notice the little girl sitting in the playroom far away from anyone else. _**Oleana**_… That is who she is. Just a lonely and loveless little girl- A girl, that despite having no social interaction; Continues to do her own thing- Thinking her own way… _No guidance_… _No encouragement_. Just herself. _All by herself… Alone. _A resentful expression fills her face as she realizes that once more… _She secluded herself for a reason_\- No one even asks, no one even wonders, _no one even cares_. There is happiness; _Just not for her… No love at all_. Love of family and friends is a foreign concept to Oleana, and it has continued to be like so for quite some time.

The prior look on her face crumbles to nothingness, just a pure and utter flat expression; Void of any emotion- _Of any care_. Continuing her reading of the books before her, she puts the picture book down and glances towards to TV that was on. A video that was set up was replaying itself, over and over again; A video of Mr. Rose.

"_Welcome one and all! Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon! Our beloved Galar region is a wonderful place, with thriving nature… Beautiful cities, and many Pokemon with which we share our lives!-" _Starts the President of the Pokemon League with much fervor.

'_Beautiful cities, huh…? I wish you were right about that one Mr. Rose… I really do…' _Begins Oleana, as she puts things together. _'Hmm, maybe- He is right… Perhaps in its' own way this place is beautiful… But the people- _Disgusting!" Thinks Oleana as she reformulates her opinion on everyone. "_…Can I change things at all like you do Chairman Rose? … Or am I forever stuck with this… I want to help the people of Galar too… But… Ah, who am I kidding? Oleana is just a hopeless and unwanted girl… I can still **wish **though can't I…?'_

A face full of helplessness appears on the little Olive's face as she tugs her arms into her chest and puts her head down onto her knees. Giving out a heavy sigh, the look simply disappears into nothingness; Once again having adopted the face of a doll, she comes to a decision. Oleana slowly gets up from her position and walks towards the door leading outside, turning and walking towards the caretaker of all the kids; She passes them all without a second glance.

"… I am going to walk around the city to get some fresh air." Oleana lies swiftly and without guilt as she continues her stroll away from the others outside of the facility.

Not even getting a response, the little girl with green eyes grinds her teeth in annoyance as her eyes narrow slightly. Soon her attention is pulled out of focus as she hears the now stilled children watching her warily, the little Olive focuses her hearing on them and makes out a few things.

"… _Waste-" _

"_Quiet…" _

"… _Creepy~."_

"_Weirdo…"_

"_Poisoned child…"_

As all the contempt filled comments range from sadistic to simplistic, is still sends Oleana into an internal rage as aspects of disturbance make its' way onto her face. Hate and annoyance mix into one to form her now contorted face as her eyes are wide open with the pupils and iris constricted into small dots; Her teeth are completely show as her lips are parted to the extreme, she grinds them left and right very hard in response to these accusations- _Though not all wrong_, _even if_ everyone there did not know the real Oleana; Which they do not in fact, as they never took the time to appreciate her presence and understand her like the others have with each other. Forcing herself to calm down from her anger high, she once again adopts the cold exterior that everyone there is familiar with and only knows about.

Upon reaching the exit of the city, the little Olive makes a quick left and takes the secret way out of the city, so as to not get caught and questioned. Upon exiting the makeshift alleyway made of cargo containers Oleana quickly maneuvers around everything in her path, soon reaching the gates; She steps in between them and slides out of the confines of the city without trouble, one foot in front of the other, the little girl eventually makes her way to the hilltop near the ocean. Taking a deep breath and sighing heavily once more for today, she sits down under a berry tree.

'_Poisoned Child…'_

"… Hah… _Poisoned_, huh?" The little olive now turned to the ever toxic Oleander responds silently with a completely blank face, except her eyes which adopts the crazed look of anger. "I'll show you all _poisoned_… Just you wait… _**Oleana promises that**_."

Just as the toxic Oleander was nearing her limit, before she could scream out in anguish and anger, a rather faint _twinkling _noise was heard in the distance. Breaking Oleana from her stupor, the now little Olive was looking in the direction of the noise with a raised eyebrow on the ever stoic face of Oleana. Seeing red course through the sky behind her and gradually land onto the beach below, made her a bit frightened if she was to be honest.

"What… was that…?" The little girl asks still with the raised eyebrow present on her face.

Deciding to go and see what it was, the little Olive runs around the tree and continues downwards from the city to her right; Straight to the beach, with three sparkling and shimmering pinkish lights. Coming upon them, she settles for a more cautious approach- Inching forward very slowly, when Oleana reached them, she concluded they were harmless and decided to touch one; Reaching out and quickly tapping one then backing away, _nothing happens_.

"Hmm. So, no reaction to touch…? _Thank goodness_…" Concluding in relief, Oleana once again reaches out.

Grasping all the glowing pink hue objects in her right hand, the little Olive opens her hand once more and stares at the three rocks in wonder…

* * *

"… I am still keeping my promise, one way or another… people of _Spikemuth_…" **Oleana** states ruefully while whispering as an exceedingly disturbing look makes its' way onto the child's face, which is faced downward as she opens her eyes once more- Now completely filled with a crazed gaze. "A wish of a tormented girl was granted that day- A wish that sent me on a voyage to change this Region for the better! _**Oleana is almost there- Just a bit more… Then I can **__**meet**__** Chairman Rose, assist in his noble goals, and help change Galar forever****…!**_"

Breaking the toxic Oleander out of her thoughts as her face changed back to its' ever present doll faced form, her phone rings in her hand. Peeking to who it was that was calling her, she looks a bit surprised and answers the phone quickly to greet her current benefactor.

"Hello Professor Magnolia, is there something you needed?" I quickly inquire with a flat yet soothing voice.

"No! No dear, I was just wondering if you were OK… It has certainly been quite stressful for you lately; So, I ask again; Are you doing alright, Oleana deary?" The voice of Magnolia asks with a tone that suggests worry, before long however, she whispers. "… _I have witnessed that breakdown once before Oleana_, _if this is too much for you… __Y__ou can stop for now_\- We can figure out another alternative; I have Rose's number on speed dial after all!"

As I was about to respond to her worry; Which honestly made me feel a bit happy. Some scuffling was heard in the background as if two people were wrestling over the phone, soon though someone else got a hold of the phone.

"… _Hey_!-"

"Oleana! Hey its' me! Sonia! I know you feel obligated to Mr. Rose, Gah-! No- _Stop_, let me talk! *_Krrrtch_* _Uh_, anyways! I agree with Grandma Mag! If you do feel like you're pushing yourself too much… _Take a break_! Always make sure to take care of yourself first before others! _Otherwise_… You can't very well take care of others now can you? *_Phwip_* -_Hey_! I wasn't done!" Cries Sonia in mock anger as the phone gets swiped once more.

"*_Sigh_*, I swear this Grandchild of mine… _But it is as she says_! Personally, after all the work you did for this I refuse to believe you'll stop even with our worries." Begins the Professor." So! After it is all over… _Please_ take a break. Live your life, you've got a long time before you even become a teenager for heavens sake! Just leave the adult things to the adults, OK?"

"Understood… And… Thank you for the concerns- _Really_, it means… A lot. Though I will not stop until I present my patented invention to the people in attendance at the award ceremony… From both of your concerns, however, I… Will consider taking a break. _Truthfully_, I have felt rather… _Drained_ as of late. I shall make my decision only once-" Breaking Oleana out of her conversation, she hears the announcement for her flight; Getting up, she grabs the purse dangling on her shoulder firmly within her left hand and makes her way to the gate. "… The announcement for my flight section came, I must leave soon. It was good talking to you both… Farewell for now."

"See ya later Oleana! Do your best!"

"It is as Sonia says, _once again_, Do your best Oleana. We will be rooting for you over here! Goodbye now, and stay safe!" After Magnolia and Sonia say their goodbyes, the little Olive hangs up and places her phone in her purse.

Continuing on her way through the checkpoint, people from the business class slowly make their way into the plane through a formed line. Taking some time, the gate attendant finally reaches me, smiling at me she asks for my boarding pass and passport; As I am flying internationally, the attendants are required to check the passport once more for confirmation. Nodding my head, I hand the checkpoint lady my already prepared boarding pass and passport. After having it confirmed she nods her head and smiles to me, after a farewell and to "_Have a great flight_…", I prepare for the next attendant that will check my passes once more as I walk down the hallway to my plane.

After the tedious tasks have been completed, I eventually found my seat in business class, getting comfortable by letting out a small breath and leaning into the very comfortable "_chair-bed_". Reclining, I prepare myself for taking off by turning my cellphone to airplane mode and plugging in some earphones that I had in my purse just before placing it to my side. Thinking of what else I have to do, I come up with nothing; Seeing as how everything is panning out correctly, I in turn touch the album called "_Sleep_" on my phones' music app and close my eyes as soft tuns of music fill my ears. Feeling my consciousness slip as my built up stress finally kicks in and is assisting quite heavily in my to be sleep. I accept the invitation to rest, as vivid images begin to form in my nearly unconscious self… _Finally asleep_, dreamland takes Oleana back to the place of her beginning…

* * *

**O****leana** truly had no idea what these were, in her search of what these shiny objects were; She found a single article of research- _Research… __O__n Dynamax __Energy_… And that these were theorized to be connected somehow. This theory was surprisingly enough, published by none other than the Pokemon Professor Magnolia of the Galar Region! Looking a bit more into what these three little things were she discovered they were whats known as "_Wishing Stars_", and she had three of these rare pieces… Pieces that can be sold for…!

"*Cough!* *Cough!* *_Cough!_*" Swallowing some water incorrectly at the sight of the exuberant selling price of only _one _Wishing Star. I sit there baffled before quickly standing up and reading for more information. "'_If you happen to posses any of these Wishing Stars, please present them to the Professor Magnolia of Galar… She is onto something big!_'… Hm… Ah! Maybe… _Good_! Her phone number is here! … Now to just get into contact with her…"

Giving an exaggerated pout and a playful glare at the phone, knowing full well she will have to ask for permission from those disgusting people; Instead… _I may be able to use the Pokemon Center's phone? _Deciding to give that a try she quickly writes a note down on the table and leaves it on one of the caretakers desks, signifying her leave from the complex.

Heading out after putting on a coat due to it being rather cold that day, Oleana passes many people out and about in the city of Spikemuth. Coming upon the Pokemon Center she hears some loud noises; Peculiar ones done by trumpets, the little curious Olive begins to enter and once inside she finds the most bizarre situation ever… A boy her age with a baby in his arms, while there are two people; A man and a woman, with _trumpets_ blowing them into the Nurse Joys' ears. The nurse looks very stressed, as is her Chansey. Walking towards the four oddities to attempt to use the phone, she suddenly jerks back as the two adults yell very loudly.

"_Heal_ Zigzagoon, _heal_!"

"You can do_ it_!"

"Why are ya'll so loud in the morning…" The kid asks with a very tired face, as the two adults screech in any possible way at Joy. "… _Look_, you're 'bout to make Marnie cry- So, please stop for her at least."

"Ahk!" Both of them recoil in response before whispering apologies. "Sorry, Piers… We completely forgot…"

"S'fine, just make sure to not make this one up… Last thing we need is more yelling to our name." Responds the boy tiredly.

"Ah… Sir? Eh- Ma'am…?" Initiates Nurse Joy nervously. "Your Pokemon is done healing…"

""_HELL YEAH!_"" They both respond with dual yells.

"*_Hic…_*"

"_Ahk!_" The two cringe at hearing the familiar sound.

"Uh oh…" Finalizes the boy with slightly wider eyes.

"Waaahhh!" Screams the baby in distress.

"Well, _now look __at __what you did_! This is what happens when you show _too _much pride…" Expresses the now slightly annoyed child.

""S-sorry…""

'_Everyone in this city_… _Are nutcases!_' Internally screams Oleana as she tries to make the situation clear, while staring at the four before her with a twitching brow.

"I- Oh! Uh… You two can have your Zigzagoon back! It would appear we have another visitor! _H-have a nice day_…" Implies Joy for them to leave as she sees Oleana.

"Right… Let us be off you two, we've already caused 'nough mischief today."

"OK… Sorry again Piers…"

"Yeah… We're sorry Piers."

"_*Sigh*_, you two shouldn't be apologizing to me, it should be Marnie… Well, let us be off back to our Gym. I am sure mum and dad are worried for us all." Chides the now identified Piers as they all make their way out of the Pokemon Center and back into the streets of Spikemuth, all the while carrying a crying child.

"Team Yell sure has gotten more and more courageous these days… _I swear_! It is like they own the place! … Er… Technically they do though, _after all_, our city's Gym Leaders are their leaders…" Exasperates the nurse as she sighs heavily. "They tend to be rather… _Frightening_…"

"… _Idiotic_ would be a more apt description…" I respond casually while still looking at the doors to the center annoyed, before long however, I shake my head and focus. "I came here Nurse Joy, because I require the use of your phone… Could I bother you to use it for a few minutes?"

"My phone? Ah, sure… _Here you go_! … Just be careful, OK? _I'd rather not have it break after all_…" She trails off nervously, as if she has broken many more before this one.

"Thank you Nurse Joy, I will be right over there sitting at the table- Thanks again…" I respond cordially while holding my doll face. "_Ah,_ and I'll be careful with the phone."

Seating myself, I breath in and out slowly to compose myself. Pacing and procrastinating, I begin typing with the pace of a snail and a shaking right hand in conjunction with the phone number, I bring it to my right ear as I wait patiently for the phone to pick up. Hearing a click first, then some silence; I wait some more, as I was just about to hang up, the voice of my hope came to me in the form of the Professor herself.

"This is Professor Magnolia speaking, to whom do I the pleasure?" Commences the Galar Regions' very own Pokemon Researcher.

Sitting still with my mouth hanging open, I try to find the words to speak… Catching myself quickly with another shake of the head. I respond to the query of introduction.

"… This is Oleana, I come from Spikemuth; Earlier yesterday, I happened upon something you'd be interested in…" Establishing suspense with my introduction, she waits patiently. "… I have found not one- Not two, but _three_ Wishing Stars! I was reading online earlier about your theories, and I wished to contact you immediately about this phenomenon…"

"You- You are not pulling my leg are you? … Are you _really_ saying you have_ three_ Wishing Stars?" Magnolia asks hopefully, awaiting your response.

"Yes. _One moment_, let me just-" Placing the phone on the counter on reach into my coat pocket and pull out the shining and twinkling sounding rocks and holding them in my left hand, I pick up the phone and place it near the rocks so the sound of them can go through as Nurse Joy stares at them in splendor before quickly going back to what she was doing. "_Did you hear them_…?"

"Oh… _Oh my goodness_… Yes… _Yes_! I can hear them, I heard you are from Spikemuth, correct? Can we schedule a time for us to meet in Hammerlocke? _Why_\- I can come tomo-"

"_I have a proposition that both of us may be interested in!_" Cutting off the professor in slight panic and trembling lips, while also keeping my voice controlled. "… Sorry for cutting you off, it is just…Mmm… Due to circumstances… I… cannot leave the… _'Immediate area'_ of Spikemuth and its' suroundings. _If_\- And I mean _IF_, you do this for me… We could come to an equally beneficial deal. What do you say…?"

"… _Alright_, what is this… '_Proposition_', you speak of?" Magnolia asks with no anger present, purely the curiosity of a Pokemon Researcher.

"Can you-!" Getting slightly emotional as my control slips slightly- My eyes begin to glisten as they water. Recomposing myself in front of the Professor with a breathing exercise, I confront the thing that has been troubling me for as ever since as I could remember and say the words that seemed so foreign to me at the time.

.

. .

. . .

"Could you… _Adopt me_?"

* * *

**O****leana** was never a heavy sleeper, she has always found it rather difficult to remain asleep in these kinds of… _Conditions_. Though, her life in the ever hectic City of Rock and Roll; _Spikemuth_, this has taught her to appreciate silence. Silence that was _hard earned_, so long as others respect that- The little Olive in turn will respect their choice of relaxation… Which is why she _loves _Jazz, Swing, and Saloon Songs. They allow her that freedom that has been taken from her at a young age, it also doubles as a great relaxant for any stressful situation. _Cause Arceus knows I am the very essence of "stress"…_

Slowly coming back from her slumber, Oleana awakens peacefully as she adopts a more softer expression than her usual cold exterior. Looking at the time of her now woken phone, with practiced and relaxed movements she places it back into her purse as the little Olive takes out her headset as well. Thinking of what to do now that she has an entire six and a half hours to go, taking a breath and letting any stress left flow out of her, she ponders about what she could do for the time being. Deciding from her list of things to do, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a leather notebook, rummaging through her purse she eventually finds a pen and begins to write a bit into the journal.

Getting lost in what she was writing, unknowingly to her; An hour passes as Oleana continues to put pencil to paper. As the utensil tracks the paper fluidly with her expertly done hand movements, creating a wave of movement that flows naturally- The little Olive reaches the end of her penmanship muse and stops. Before long, however, she closes the book and reopens it to the beginning. Looking at how much time has passed through just the date alone, she grows redolent as Oleana looks back at her now documented biography. Reading along what she wrote, the little Olive once again gets lost into what she was doing, she is truly an epic to be read… This journal… Is a testament to that.

* * *

Scorn has always been something **Oleana** is used to, _at least when the deal is done behind her back_. So, when confronted with a situation like this… She has to put more force into keeping a straight face- Especially when the people you have been living with in this_ Arceus forsaken, infested, malice filled den of an orphanage _is just that close to making your mental line_ snap_ and break into two whole pieces; Never to be refitted again into a single part. Always possessing those scares that never fade. Living with the curse to never again feel or empathize properly, due to the inadequacies of understanding from both children and adults alike in this cesspool of _disgust._

"I am so glad you're leaving… _Freak_…"

"I thought you'd never leave…"

"Good riddance."

"… I am betting she comes back within a month, give or take?"

Hearing all these comments as I pack what things I had, I couldn't help but think about how selfish and condescending children were. Didn't help that these single celled organisms, were taught to be just as equally condescending and single celled as the adults themselves, _because why not screw everyone over? Why not just yourself? _Those two questions have been unanswered since the dawn of time, I thought, these _epidemic outbreaks_ have truly opened my eyes to how human filth can really be when given enough time to fester; Truly, this is why people needed that hope- _That guidance_\- Otherwise this is the result… _Chairman Rose… Can you really help these people? It'll be quite the task to heard these sheep… That is for certain!_

Finally finished after I speedily put together my luggage, I take just as quick strides to the door that leads outside of the orphanage of my absolute detest. Walking past more and more of the human filth I've had the _displeasure_ to know, soon I reach the door and after opening it slowly and leaving it ajar, I speak for the first time in years with such an ice cold tone, that it could very well freeze over a mountain possessed by Heatran.

"The person that has adopted me was informed of all of your wrong doings towards myself, _and as of this moment_, this place will be under _heavy_ investigation by the Police Force of Hammerlocke as well as CPS… I have just recorded this entire… _Session_… Between us, _as per their request…_ Not only just this instance though, but for the past week, _I have in fact been secretly recording your interactions __with me _and _behind my back_. You all are now on borrowed time, use it well. _**Oleana suggests that**_…" Trailing off ominously to scare and piss them all off with only leaking a tad bit of my angered side at the last second, but not to the point where it gets revealed to them.

_M would be most impressed with her thoroughness._

Leaving that as my farewell, I walk through the ajar door and grasp the outside door knob with a guillotine grip and pull as hard as I can, making sure to break the door with a loud noise on my way out, _I have never felt better about being so __non- __remorseful_. Keeping my calm and composed stature, as I waltz away at a steady pace; Everyone around me stares in surprise at my presence, as soon as I reach a few yards away from the ensuing mess. I hear a voice riddled with nothing but hate and a desperate yell for an outlet.

"_No one is going to love you! _Ever_! You'll remain the same '_Poisonous Child'_ that we all know, you Toxic little nuisance! _Alone_! Do you hear me?!"_ Bellows the man soon to be known as a pathetic ingrate, as he trips over the now fallen door in his panicked state.

The people around me look aghast at what has occurred hear and begin to whisper and gossip to each other about what happened. Honing in on a few of these, I listen intently.

"… _Did ya see that_?! What happened?!"

"That… _Man_… Just said some pretty horrible things… Should we-?"

" 'M already callin'… _This in_."

"I can't believe someone like that works in an orphanage… _What'a disgrace_…"

I was… Thoroughly surprised by the positive reception. So much so that my murderous gaze from that chaps' comment, just melted away into nothing as my face returned to a rather normal state; Just my eyes reveled in this victory of mine, as I quirk my eyebrows and my circular lips form a smug smirk of deviousness at the coming retribution to the now ruined establishment behind me.

'_Perhaps… No… They are just going with the "_flow_", I doubt they truly care whatsoever. Anyways… Scratch that off the "_to do list_" I suppose…' _I inquire to myself shortly before marking off the destruction of the orphanage as one of the things for my bucket list.

Continuing my walk regardless of the comments and looks of astonishment, I quickly pass the Pokemon Center- Seeing Nurse Joys' smile, I wave at her and she waves back with a lot of moxie. Turning my head from her, I keep pace so as to keep up the time for my departure from Hammerlocke to Wedgehurst, but first… I need to head to the Police Station with this voice recorder and its' contents! Only then can I truly be satisfied with the self immolation of that _foul place_.

Passing the spot of my fortune on the beach, I hastily enter the Route 9 Tunnel at a quicker speed and reaching the exit I am greeted with the relatively long trek to Hammerlocke from Route 7. Pushing forward, I rehearse to myself what the plan for the day was. Waiting in Hammerlocke for… Mmm… _Professor Magnolia_? _Mother_?… Ah, I- I do not know how to approach _this_ situation. Well, I will be accompanying the Professor back to her house near Wedgehurst; The town of Wedgehurst also doubles as the location for her Pokemon Research Lab, truthfully- I was feeling_ just_ a bit nervous about this whole… _Thing_. Once everything settles however, I do believe it will be for the best, just need to take everything in stride… _One foot in front of the other._

Reaching the gate of the city of my current interest, I proceed to walk towards the meeting spot designated for our departure; _The intersection leading to the Gym_. It should be where the Pokemon Center is… Mmm. There it is! Striding towards the center for Pokemon, I look around and couldn't find anyone. Deciding to stay in the Pokemon Center for now, I take a sharp turn right and bump into someone; This someone had the weirdest jacket she has ever seen- It was easily custom crafted too, appearing to look like a dragon.

"Ah! Oh, Sorry about that! I was a too busy taking photos of myself to even pay attention! My bad!" Establishes the odd hood wearing kid.

"No problem, I was not paying much attention either… My name is Oleana." Introducing myself felt a bit awkward, but I pushed through it.

"So that's your name! I see. _I am the tamer of dragons- The great Raihan_! … Or at least that is what I will be…" The now identified Raihan announces in splendor, before quickly falling off while slumping harshly. "… If it wasn't obvious enough. I like Dragon Type Pokemon! Good to meet you Oleana!"

"… It is nice to meet you as well, Raihan. Now… Could I ask you a question?" Inquiring, I put together what I am going to ask.

"Sure! Shoot on!"

"Have you perhaps seen the Professor around here? I was supposed to be meeting her here." I fulfill the details softly and very robotic like.

"By Professor… Do you mean _Magnolia_? Like, the _Pokemon Researcher_ Magnolia?!" The overly energetic kid my age exclaims while yelling.

"Calm yourself! Don't let other people hear you…" I get slightly pushy in response to his eagerness.

"Uh. Right! Sorry… It's just that- _We don't get to see things like that up here in Hammerlocke. So it is really exciting_!' Apologizing once again, he then whispers his last words in consideration.

"… Good. So, I take it you have not seen her then, judging by your demeanor?" I ask politely to hide my disappointment.

"Yeah… Sadly I haven't seen her, though, if you do not mind- Why do you ask if I have seen the Professor? Ah, for the meeting between you two of course!" Raihan asks kindly.

"Well… She is- She is adopting me, actually." Deciding to be truthful to the nice kid, I respond.

Waiting for the jeers and sneers to come, I close my eyes patiently. Not hearing anything, I open one curiously at Raihan, only to find him staring at me with a slightly parted mouth and eyes. Soon though, he closes them and gives me a comforting smile before pointing with his thumb in what I thought to be some random direction.

"Wanna get something to eat? I know the guy at the Battle Cafe pretty well; He could set you up with something to eat, you could wait and see there if you can get in contact with Professor Magnolia!" The blue eyed boy asks me in consideration for my situation.

Staring at him blankly now that both my eyes are open, I try and gauge to see if he has something up his sleeves; Something planned for me, a sign of any deceit… _Nothing_. He appears to be genuinely concerned for me, but not to the point of him coddling me like a pitiful animal- _Thank Arceus! People like this actually exist! _There is something I hate even more than comments from deplorable people… Pity. I hate it… _So much. _This kid though, very naturally picked up from a usually awkward situation and salvaged it like nothing, and made it seem like he didn't care much, while simultaneously being worried. People. Like. This. Actually exist! Once again, thank Arceus!

"I do not currently have the money to afford any sort of purchasable thing though. My apologies…" I say while attempting to appease his unease.

"Oh! You don't have to buy. I'll do it since I am the one who invited you after all!" He pushes, without seeming too forceful. "Though… If you really don't wanna, then I can't very force you now can I?"

"… Alright then. Lead me to this, '_Battle Cafe'_, so that we may eat while I wait for the Professor to pick me up."

"Awesome! It's right this way!" Raihan exclaims impatiently, while running ahead. "_This way! This way_!"

I sigh to myself, thinking about what kind of person I just got involved with. Hopefully the Professor can come to my rescue… Surely she can right?

* * *

[ Author's Note ] I wonder if ya'll actually thought I would go without showing Oleana or _even Bea_ for like… A couple hundred thousand words? _Nah bruh_, I gotchu all! We shall be returning to M next chapter. Though, I do have a few more chapters like this one planned. So, what do you all think?! I wanted to change how I did POVs cause it felt elementary the way I did it; So I changed that! And for Oleana too! My writing will evolve just as Pokemon do! Next chapter will be up in **5 Days** at maximum. Cya'll then! Also, read all the stuff below! It has some interesting details I think you all will be interested in learning!

[ Oleana is _what_? ] I lowered her age! Though I do like my _ara ara's_ at time. I would prefer if Oleana was the same age as M in this case… I hope you all can appreciate how a de-aged Oleana and a few others will affect certain things for the story! Oleana is very immature as well compared to the Macro Cosmos Oleana we all know. She doesn't have that hold on herself like the older one does, hope I can show you how she came to be who she is in a realistic way…

[ Oleana things that made sense… ] Oleana was very poor before she had "_Changed her image_" as Oleana says herself when fighting you at Rose Tower while her Garbodor is Gigantamaxed, so I made it to where she appreciates some different things compared to the Macro Cosmos version of herself. Also, her design when looked into, makes so much sense-

Firstly there are her earrings, which are the Rose's design logo for the tower. However! Hexagons are also a sign of serenity, balance, and peace; We all know though, that Oleana is anything but stable.

Her jeweled harness, which has a blue jewel on it; Blue represent roughly the same thing as hexagons do! Also her neck choker and harness could be a play off to how she in "intoxicated" and "chained" with and to Chairman Rose, willing to follow his ideals to her last breath,_ like a leash_.

The colors themselves are rather self explanatory! Look em up yourself :.

Oleana is an Olive- Literally, her name is a shoot off of an "_Olea" _which is the genus of_ "Olive"_; _However_, quite a funny tid bit I learned a few weeks ago… "_Oleander_" which is actually a highly toxic plant, that was said to be used as _poisons_… Interesting fact that Oleana is called _Oleana_ now right? Some more things that are interesting! Her name itself concludes to me that she was up to some shady stuff to begin with, as she was working with Chairman Rose to harness Eternatus's Energy for the entire region… and guess what typing Eternatus is? _Poison and Dragon_! Gamefreak loves to use their flower motiff names for rivals and stuff, so a nod to Oleana in this way was very interesting to me. She has been an "_Invasive Species_" just like last Gen's, here's where it plays off! So, her name pretty much hinted at her overall plan. Just like last Gen's evil group- _The Aether Foundation_!

Lillie – _Lily_

Gladion – _Gladiolus_

Lusamine – _Balsamine_

I think you're starting to see! These are all "_Invasive Plants_" a very well placed translation to something happening behind the scenes, all of which are bad, I really appreciate this kind of stuff. _And so_\- In conclusion! I wish to make Oleana a play off of her inner "_Oleander_" and make it to where she still has that poisonous side to her, and how she grows as a result of this poisoning from her childhood, and how M will help her out… There is also her design, as these changes occur with her, Oleana's design will change as well to match her state of mind and a few other things that will be represented by her design; I will not change everything of course! I hope you all enjoy what I have planned for her! I know I am excited to just write her!


	12. Chapter 12

**[ M ] is Fortunate**

M knew there was a lot of Pokemon in this world, yet he still continued to be fascinated with the world around him as he continued to explore with his family. Turning he head to his left, he is greeted with the sight of N looking thoroughly amazed- Even more than he was! Noticing his brothers' gaze, N smiled at him happily before noticing a Pokemon he has never seen or heard of before.

"Hey brother, do you know what Pokemon that is?" N asks while pointing to the "Balloon" Pokemon. "You never taught me about that one!"

"… Why that is a Jigglypuff, N! They are not Unovan exclusive, Jigglypuff tend to sing many songs, most if not all of which can make you feel drowsy. So, be careful on how you approach one, though, they shouldn't feel threatened at all if it knows you can understand it." Explaining to N as he walks over to talk to the little puff ball.

Watching N be so entranced by everything put a smile on my face, he hasn't seen much of Unova yet, so this little trek of ours to Nuvema Town was like an adventure to him. My brother starts by walking over to the Balloon Pokemon and talks with it, after realizing that the Pokemon was not under any harm, it started to talk back and begins singing. Forming a dialogue and tune between the two. Just as I was about to relax myself a bit, I heard a snicker behind me. The smile on my face becomes strained as it twitches when I hear what the voice says.

"It's so… So… _Snrk_… _Oh god_, it is just so bad at singing…!" States the voice, while clearly trying to hold its' laughter.

The Balloon Pokemon who heard this, lays down with its' face down as a depressing cloud forms over it. Seeing this, N tries to comfort the little one with an overly exaggerated face of worry, but to no avail. A tic mark forms on my forehead, as I hear the voice. Reaching out, I ready my hand in congruence with its' growing strained laughter. Giving a silent warning to the voice as my hand stops right near its' furry stomach- Not hearing it stop, the tic grows larger and more tight.

"Ohh… Sheeeshesheee- _AHHHHGGGG! _What the he-?!" Realizing its' mistake, the agitated voice quickly turns into a whisper with normality. "_Ah… Right…. Sorry 'bout that guys_…"

Seeing the Pokemon by my side, looking at least somewhat less impish than it was earlier as it adopts a wry expression of comedic remorse. The mark on my forehead disappears as my face gives way to a tired and resigned expression of defeat, continuing to look at the fox near me expectantly, it finally realizes what it needed to do; Dropping the illusion on itself and forming another, _Zorua _walks up to the befallen pink and round Pokemon.

"Uhm… Sorry about laughing at you. That wasn't very nice of me…" Z trails off awkwardly.

The Jigglypuff looks up from its' position with aspects of surprise filling its' face, which quickly morph into elation. The Balloon Pokemon stands once more and begins to sing for N again, to which he hums and claps along. Watching this scene made my earlier expression turn back into a serene and relaxed one. Maneuvering to look at the other Pokemon behind me, I take stock of the situation at hand and decide to just camp here for the rest of the day; _We all still had a rather long walk ahead of us after all…_

"Z!" I yell softly, catching the attention of the seemingly Tricky Fox Pokemon. "We should set up came here! Can I trust you with '_that'_?"

"Hah! Need you even ask M?! I've got this in the bag!" Zorua states with conviction as he runs off to start his now assigned job.

Seeing Zorua zoom off, I look towards N who is also looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Nodding my head, he takes sign correctly and begins to search the area for things to use in order to sleep and eat, with the Jigglypuff in tow. Looking at Woobat expectantly, he instantly recognizes my expression and flies off with a smile to keep N safe and allow him a good time. Darmanitan and Shuppet, also stare in my direction ardently, awaiting their jobs excitedly. Grinning at their enthusiasm, I direct them kindly.

"I need you both of watch duty for now, make sure no one Pokemon or human break into the vicinity of Zs' duty's, OK? Make certain he is not disturbed while he prepares, he may have jumped in the ability to use illusions… But it takes a good while to build them up for him still, _so give a good defense_! Z and I are counting on you two!" Expressing to the two with a nice tone, they humbly agree before running off to different direction.

Nodding to myself about the current tasks of everyone here, I begin my own; Scouting around us to see if anything dangerous or of interest would be in the immediate area of us all. Preforming some light stretches, I am bound to commence my sprint around us, finally finished I start off slowly until I pick up speed and climb the tree with nothing but my feet. Kicking off the current tree I am on, I scrunch my legs and thrust to leap to another and another. Keeping pace, I eventually find stable footing and continue forward with the intent to protect my family.

* * *

'_Some things never change I guess._' Internally expresses M as he sees the conundrum happening before him as he watches from the trees.

"Stop biting-! *Snap!* _GYAAAHHH!_ MEEE!" Screeches a Pokemon Trainer as his Sandile bits his hand and he attempts to wrangle it off. "Let go! Let go! _Let go!_"

"Play with me! Play with me!" Exclaims the "Desert Croc" Pokemon as its' smile reaches it's eyes. "Hahaha~!"

After a few amusing minutes for me and a few agonizing for this chap, the Sandile finally lets go of his hand. Seeing the hand of the guy though made me cringe slightly, puffy and reverberating red… Tell tale sign of a bad time. The man seeing his hand seems like he is going to cry as he proceeds to blow on his hand and shake it wildly, all the while the Sandile is just giggling his tail off. It was only here that I decide to mediate between the two.

"… Sandile love to play rough you know, it is best to always have a nigh indestructible toy on hand." I say to inform the unfortunate man.

"Huh-? W-what are you doing up there…?" Asks the man slightly surprised.

"Well… I was looking around to find some cool stuff; Then I happened upon your comedy routine- Gotta say, I almost laughed. No offense of course." Initiating my introduction, I start to inaugurate myself to the poor sap. "The names M, what's yours mister?"

"… Oh! _Right_, my apologizes! Dan- Dan's my name! I own a family run Spa Resort just up the road." Starts the now identified man who is pointing to the other side of himself. "It is quite the relaxing place! Bring your family and come visit someday!"

"Hahaha! I may just do that! Hmm… Does your Spa Resort have to do with sand by any chance?" Inquiring to Dan, as he feels familiar to me.

"Why yes it does! Have you heard of it?" He asks with an elated expression.

"In a way- A bit of advice though," Starting to explain the situation with Dan's Resort. "Your Resort is right slap on top of some non-ruptured geysers. They will start to blow in roughly five to ten years though- So make sure to clear the area of any Pokemon and humans; Also, if the Sandile start to become agitated, it is a sure sign of the geysers erupting, and during this time, you may want to get some Pokemon Rangers to come help with your issue. Some Pokemon may be stuck somewhere, so if the Sandile of the area start to become angry- That is why…"

"… W-wait, really?! Well damn- Er! _Dang_… OK, I'll… Uh, check that out! Thanks though!" He happily expresses his gratitude.

"No problem- Just remember to get a toy for yourself and your customers, so they can enjoy the full Sandile experience without getting a red blob of a hand like yours!" Seeing his embarrassed face made me have to stifle some laughter at his expense. "I've gotta go now! Perhaps, I'll come by later, who knows honestly~!"

"Alright! See you later then! Goodbye!" Concluding out dialogue, the Spa Resort owner waves me off.

'… _Gotta finish my duties first before I can truly relax, and even then I'll have a lot to think about- *Sigh*, I just can't stop now can I?_'

* * *

Fire crackling as the flames whip side to side in a mesmerizing way, bringing joy to a troubled child.

N has been feeling troubled ever since the meeting with Kirigiri about her passing; That emotion has got even worse when he was at her side on the Ninjas' death bed. Watching her pass so peacefully, made N at least somewhat better, however- Once Kirigiri's grandchildren broke down right in front of him and M, seeing such happy people cry like that just made that feeling come back in full. N wept along with them, as M stood at the foot of the bed with his back turned and with an almost imperceptible furrowed brow and frown. The death came much faster than we _and even she_ anticipated; _We_ just couldn't stop though- But Cilan, Cress, and Chili all asked for just that. _Time to grieve_.

M gave me a choice to stay with the three as he knew how much this incident affected me, but I needed to stay strong for the upcoming issue with not just our family; But the entire Region of Unova as whole. I knew that, and yet… It still hurts. I can see why M wishes to help people like this now though; It really is a terrible feeling- One that just wash away no matter how much you scrub. Thinking about it now, he has always known that I was going to attempt to rationalize this with a formulae, but… Can science even help here? M reassured me that it could and can; "… _Anyone that doesn't have a coping mechanism is bound to falter after all"_. Not being able to take the time to grieve has been the worst part of this, though I know we can't stop… What with the impending crisis ahead…

"_M, are you certain this is the correct choice…? I know very well just how much I stray from the median… But being a _'king'_? I think that is a bit much…" I express slightly abashed._

"_N… You will be the most important cog to this machine, no matter the decision you make here. That is sadly the truth, Team Plasma will come eventually, even if you decide to or not to proceed with this plan. I know it seems very… _'Wild'_…" Explains and elaborates M as he eases N's worries with kindess. "Make sure you to always trust a Zoroark's illusions, they will stay in effect no matter what, so much so that they are indistinguishable from reality, and from what I know of Zorua's training on illusions; He will be able to cast us as illusions that can even use speech. From this… Our family will be able to move without many restrictions. It is with this that we must be ready, and for that to happen smoothly… We truly need your help as Team Plasma's King. Can you help me help us? _Please_?"_

Seeing that smile on M's face when he spoke with such faith made me mentally kneel before him. I could just feel the sincerity coming off of him when he expressed his self in this plan of his. M may have made me a bit worried in the beginning with this… Far fetched ploy, but once you take in the truth of everything else surrounding M… It just seems natural at this point. I too have faith in M just as he has in himself, I must learn this conviction if I am to perpetrate the role of Team Plasma's King. Follow through N, you can do this! It is as easy as your multiple tables!

"Hey N! I'm done with setting up the illusory barrier surrounding us! So… _Wanna play a prank on M_? Sheshesheee." Asks Z with whisper and mischievous grin that grows into his eyes.

"Come on _**Zoroark**_! That's a bit much even for you, hahaha!" Laughing at his sly side as it has only gotten worse as he evolved from Zorua.

* * *

M didn't really mind walking, it lets you reach the goals you put in place for yourself after all; It allows you to feel all the more better about yourself when you accomplish them!

"We're almost there everyone. Look! That's the harbor of Nuvema town! You can see the lighthouse from here…" Points out M as he looks on ahead with a smile.

"_Finally…!_ Why do humans always have to make your towns and cities so far away from one another!?" Exacerbates Z as he tiredly slumps tiredly onto his self.

Everyone in our little group just proceeds to chuckle at his behavior.

_I wonder sometimes too… _

Glancing back to everyone in our little rag tag group, my eyes land back onto the now evolved Zoroark disguised as a Zorua from his illusions.

I couldn't believe what I heard when the Audino were willing to become our Battle Experience chaperons… _It made me tear up a little!_ It took a good minute, but eventually Zorua evolved! Now… _We can actually move freely_… I made certain Z put up an illusory barrier around our own home, so it seemed like we were there. Currently, we should be disguised as different people and Pokemon; So that is a humongous relief!

"We gotta keep going everyone! Don't stop here!" I inform my family before continuing on our trek to Nuvema Town.

Getting different responses of agreement, we pushed onward down the makeshift dirt road. Taking in the sights as we reach the confines of the town, we hear giggling.

All turning to look at the sounds of happiness, we see a few kids a few years younger than us playing with each other. As my head starts to spin, I recognize all of them!

"Hey, you all!" I call out to them.

Suddenly they all hitch at my voice and turn towards us all, seeing so many Pokemon and two kids made them a bit worried. After giving them a reassuring smile and a wave, they all calmed down and made their way over to us.

"Hey! You must be from Nuvema Town right? I was wondering if someone in the town could be our guide. Our group could use some directions to the Professor's Lab." Explaining our situation, I hear the resounding agreement behind me in different forms.

"Yeah. We come from Nuvema… What did you need from Professor Juniper?" Asks the one with the glasses, and gives me a pointed stare.

"_Come on, __**Cheren**__! _Don't be mean to our town's guests!" Implicates the boy with a hat and slightly unkempt hair. "… The names' **Hilbert** by the by!"

"I'm **Hilda**! This dorks sister!" Answers the girl with a hat too and same colored eyes and a sound smile.

"I-I am **Bianca**, nice to meet you all…" Responds the blond haired girl as she pulls down her hat when answering.

"Nice to meet you all! The names M by the way!" Introducing myself before the others in my family, I then leave the stage for N.

"Hello everyone! My name is N, and I am this guy's brother!" N says as he looks comically at Hilda.

Soon though, the rest of my family responds as well with equally pleasant introductions; Though the four couldn't hear them. They all still readily said hello to the Pokemon in front of them however, after some initial talks, they began escorting us into town.

"Juniper and Cedric's Lab is quite a distance away from the town itself, it's actually on the other side." States the boy with the some cowlick hair sticking out of the top of his head. "We need to get permission from our parents first…"

Everyone in their group suddenly glances towards Bianca as she looks downwards slowly becoming a bit saddened.

"Bianca!" I call out to her.

"Huh? … Oh, yeah M? What is it?" Asks the green-eyed girl timidly.

"Well… If you run into trouble with something. Don't feel the need to hold back on asking for some help OK? You got a butt ton of friends here that would over turn the world for you!" Answering honestly, I turn towards her while walking backwards.

Bianca looks a bit taken aback by this, and pulls her hat down again with a harder grip. Loosening her tight grasp of her hat, she looks back up with some tears in her eyes as she looks at everyone present.

"Right… It's just- _Hard, you know_…?" She asks for confirmation.

"Of course it's hard Bianca!"

"Yeah! It is for everyone!"

"You are not alone in how you feel…"

Getting support from her close friends made her smile as the tears go away instantly. Seeing that smile, I turn around and focus on the upcoming task of convincing the Professors to allow my brother and I privileges to carry Pokemon, potentially without a Trainer's License…

Coming upon a row of houses all crunched up next to each other, three of them split off in different directions going to their respective families homes.

Staring off into space, I continue thinking about how to go about the talk with the Professors… I have the two letters from Lenora and Burgh that will put things into perspective for the two, so at least we have support. Remembering their supportive roles in our plan made me grin delightedly, as I finish my thoughts three of the group of four run back to us and nod with a smile. The smile fades just as quickly into worry, however, as Bianca failed to show up just as fast.

Coming to a unanimous decision as we all nod to each other silently, I let them lead the way to Bianca's house, creeping our way to the house before us with abated steps; We suddenly hear the voice of what seemed to be Bianca's father.

"You're too young Bianca… Why do you feel the need to be with Pokemon? I just don't get it…" Asks the mature voice.

"… They have given me courage. Just as my friends did! I w-want to give back to the people and Pokemon that make me happy. _This is my plan for the future though_… For now, I just was to spend time with my friends… Can I go to the Professors Lab with them Papa? It won't be too long…" Reinforces Bianca as she tries to convince her dad to let her go.

"… Fine. _But!_ You have to be back in a few hours OK! I don't want you coming back as soon as it turns dark. Too dangerous!" Finalizes the voice of her father.

"That's fine! Thank you papa!" After some scuffling, the door to her house opens and she finds us standing there with smiles.

After a looking at each other for a few seconds, the Bianca who went into that house came out a little more willful than before; Smiling at us too, she jumps down the steps and throws her hand in the air. As she does this, we all do too, giving her more courage to act as she pleases.

"… Let's hurry! I don't want to know if my papa will change his mind after all!" Bianca states with a firm voice and a determined face.

"Rightio then!" Declares Hilbert excitedly. "Follow us! We'll lead you to where you need to the Research Lab!"

"You should leave the directing to me Hilbert… Do I need to remind you of whati happened last time we decided to follow your directions?" Cheren states with a playful smile as he pushes up his glasses.

"Wha-?! _Oh come on!_ It was one time, OK!"

As we all laugh at him, Cheren decides to walk on ahead as he chuckles under his breath; Knowingly taking the lead just to agitate his friend further. Everyone ends up following the glasses kid, while Hilbert had a comically irritated face and pout as he strut along with us.

* * *

It was like any other day, just conducting observations of Pokemon in their natural habitat and recording down any available information.

This was the norm for the newly instated Professor Juniper.

Her father Cedric wasn't getting any younger and decided to pass the coat onto her, when she heard him say that, Juniper was excited! However, as his daughter she was also sad. The person she came to love is still the same, but the Professor he was is gone. For now, her father is just teaching her the ways of the Pokemon Researcher!

So, the unusual is what she is used to as a Professor, as even then from her inexperience; She technically is use to the unknown and mysterious side of Pokemon. Yet when confronted with the enigmas before her, it honestly made her stumped!

"So you two came here to the Research Laboratory in order to receive holding privileges for Pokemon in Pokeballs from me?" Inquires Juniper with pure curiosity

"Mmm," The boy named M nods his head in confirmation. "There is far more to it than just this surface level of information; The two of us, _in fact_, have letters of recommendation from the Gym Leaders Lenora and Burgh."

"Recommendation letters?" The current professor dubiously questions while looking towards her father for guidance, only to see him with his eyes wide open. "Father… What is wrong?"

"These two letters will also put into perspective our current situation… Ah, You four! This is where I would like to ask you to wait outside… It's… going to get personal for us." Insinuates the boy named M as his supposed brother N nods as well remorsefully.

Getting surprised faces in response from the four kids, they nod and head on outside. After they leave, M looks towards to two of us seriously and asks his Zor- _Zoroark?! _At the sight of the change Juniper couldn't help but be surprised! Not only that, but the instant the illusions caved the others disguises went away as well.

"We need your help- _Badly_… I loath to admit, but my family and I cannot do this alone." States the new looking child as he turns around and pulls the two letters out of nowhere.

The current Professor looks towards her father for any sign of confirmation, Cedric only looks serious as he nods his head for a resounding agreement to look.

Taking the two letters nicely the daughter and father duo walk away to get some privacy.

"I saw your earlier expression… What are the importance of these letters dad?"

"I'll answer after we read the two letters… M did say it would, '_Put things into perspective for us_.'"

Getting base acknowledgment, Juniper starts to get a little worried as a result. Locking her gaze with the two letters, she grabs a knife off of the desk in their office and begins to open the letters. Starting with Lenora's the two begin to read into the peculiar situation of the family of oddities.

* * *

[ Author's Note ] - Sorry 'bout the short chapter guys, my schedule has blown up. As a result, the updates will only occur every **7 Days** from this point forward. It may change again, but that is what it will stay as for now. Anyways, don't really wanna type much, we broke three thousand views though! Anyways... Need the sleeps... Nighty night, don't let the bed bugs bite!


	13. Something to know

Hello everyone!

For personal reasons I will not be writing for a few weeks, if you wish to know a bit more, I'll give some small details. It is pretty much a lawsuit I have against someone, I have been anticipating the lawsuit to come in soon; Mediation and trials are nearing, I will not have enough time to write for an extended period of time. The guys a piece of work, trust me. Life just likes to kick you in the ass sometimes, you know? So yeah, sorry again.

Until next time.


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